


Pray Not the Same Date of Birth

by HeavensFeather



Category: Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, the untamed, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 魔道祖师 | Módào Zǔshī (Cartoon)
Genre: Because all the cool kids take the oath of brotherhood, Jiang Cheng won’t let anyone poach his bro, Lan Zhan wants a relationship, M/M, Novel-based, One-sided LWJ/WWX, Wei Wuxian wants a brotherhood, With copious CQL elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2020-09-06 23:46:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 43,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20299930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeavensFeather/pseuds/HeavensFeather
Summary: Lan Zhan would give anything to save Wei Wuxian from himself, even if it meant burying his feelings and playing sworn brother to the other man for the rest of his life.Also known as: How I Got Brothered By the Love of My Life.





	1. Though Our Surnames Are Different

**Author's Note:**

> Is it just me, or is CQL! LWJ so hopelessly in love with CQL!WWX that no amount of express friendzoning in his script could convince the audience otherwise? ('Dearest friend in my entire life', my ass).
> 
> CQL!WWX, meanwhile, seemed as though he saw LWJ as the bestest pal, so I thought that a sworn brothers what-if could be interesting. 
> 
> Considering how bad at confessions LWJ was, though, the man could very well have brought his feelings about WWX to the grave if WWX hadn't confessed first (thanks, JGY). So here goes.
> 
> Canon geographical tidbits: Qinghe, Lanling and Gusu are located next to each to each other, which might explain why the three families had decided to take the oath and leave the Jiangs out of it lol. Yunmeng, on the other hand, was the unfortunate neighbour of the Wens, which means they will be the first to get annihilated no matter what Wei Wuxian actually does.

“Wangji, you’re awake. Do you want breakfast?”

Lan Zhan woke to his brother's gentle prompting. He rose slowly, momentarily disoriented; Lan Xichen was sitting by his bedside, dark eyes twinkling with tender amusement as he tilted his head at him and continued wiping Liebing with a clean cloth. His brother had been looking after him for a while, then.

Lan Zhan cast his eyes around, cataloging every detail around him. This was the room he'd checked into, in the far east of Qishan; judging by the bright sunlight spilling across the room, the hour was already fast approaching noon. The Second Jade of Lan ran his_ qi_ across his body experimentally, feeling for injuries. There was nothing except for a pulsing ache at his temple.

His biological clock had failed him, and he didn't seem to have the slightest inkling of how he’d gone to bed the night before. Lan Zhan thought to his brother's teasing eyes and open amusement; none of this could bode well at all.

“Brother,” he said, a silent enquiry, amber eyes unmoved as his elder brother’s amusement escalated to soft, bell-like chuckles.

“Don’t fret, Wangji, we’re all safe here. It’s just that…the innkeeper had been kind enough to serve us their specialty tea wine at dinner last night, as a compliment drink, without informing us. You know how it goes.”

“Tea wine,” Lan Zhan parroted, pressing one hand against his throbbing temple. The rest didn’t have to be said. He'd no doubt finished the beverage under the wrong impression that it had been tea, and the alcohol had proceeded to knock him out for the rest of the night.

If Lan Xichen’s radiant smile was anything to go by, though, that had not been the end of the matter.

“Brother,” he insisted. Lan Xichen read mild petulance in his younger brother’s monotone, and turned comforting eyes at him.

“You do remember dining with Big Brother and Young Master Wei, do you?”

Lan Zhan did.

"Do you remember what you said to Young Master Wei, then?"

He certainly didn't, and Lan Zhan couldn't help the faint dread that unfurled in his chest at that moment.

* * *

In the aftermaths of the Sunshot Campaign, the four clans had spent over half a month in the Nightless City, resting their fatigued forces and celebrating their hard-won victory against the tyrannical Wens.

To the Lans, however, the fall of the tyrant was not the only cause for celebration.

Their Sect Leader had decided to make Sect Leader Nie Mingjue of Qinghe Nie, and Jin Guangyao of Lanling Jin his sworn brothers. The three men, it transpired, had saved each other from the jaws of death enough times during the Campaign that when the dust finally settled, a pact of brotherhood had become inevitable.

_Wangji _was what Lan Xichen’s sworn brothers had taken to calling him, after all had been done and the oath had been taken. 

He was their younger sibling by extension, though in actuality both treated him as an esteemed equal rather than an adored younger brother. Lan Wangji, after all, was not of the same calibre as someone like Nie Huaisang, and did not require – or want – any coddling from a brother figure.

Lan Xichen’s apparent joy in taking the oath in turn pleased Lan Zhan, though considering how fundamentally _different_ Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao were by disposition, Lan Zhan had the distinct impression that his own brother – warm and accommodating as he was - was the only thing that cemented the three together.

The Gusu Lan had spent a month in Qishan, patiently grouping its disciples and gathering supplies. Once ready, the Lans trickled out of the Nightless City batch by batch, the twin Jades taking up the rear. Nie Mingjue, reluctant to part with his new brother, had insisted on accompanying the Lan brothers on their journey home.

“Both the Nies and the Lans march east. We’re headed the same way anyway,” Nie Mingjue snorted, by way of explanation, when Lan Xichen started demurring out of courtesy, “don’t worry, my people can see themselves home.”

“Then Wangji and I will rely on your protection during the journey, Big Brother,” said Lan Xichen, playfulness in his voice, and Nie Mingjue eyed him with exasperated disbelief.

The Jins were marching east as well. Perhaps Jin Guangyao, newly returned to his ancestral roots, could not leave his father’s side at this moment; perhaps he was held up by some other family matters. In any event, Nie Mingjue did not say anything edgewise. Lan Zhan could feel the tension keenly, a hairline fracture in the newly formed brotherhood. He wondered if Lan Xichen noticed the same.

But Lan Xichen had simply bowed to his sworn brother, his courtesy easy and amicable, and Lan Zhan followed suit.

* * *

Among the four major sects, the Yunmeng Jiang was the only sect that _didn’t_ hail from the east. 

Yunmeng lay directly south of Qishan, the Jiangs unwilling neighbours of the Wens. This, more than anything Wei Wuxian did or did not do, was why Lotus Pier had been the first to fall in this war, an example for all of the cultivation world to see.

Jiang Cheng had returned to Lotus Pier as soon as it was courteous to do so, no doubt feeling the urgent pressure to rebuild his Sect from scratch. Lan Zhan hadn’t had the chance to personally see the Jiangs set off; but at least, he thought, Wei Wuxian would finally be able to return home.

He did not expect to find Wei Wuxian alone at a nondescript inn at the edge of the Qishan territory, perched precariously on the windowsill as the sun set before his eyes.

Alone, but not unaccompanied. A beautiful woman in red stood to his right, giggling demurely behind her sleeve as she poured him wine. Both looked up in slight surprise as Lan Zhan appeared at the top of the staircase.

Lan Zhan recognised this woman. He’d seen, with his own eyes, how she had tortured Wen Chao to death, a green-faced terror spurred on by Wei Wuxian's wrath; how she had buried her tapered nails into the man’s flesh as he screamed and writhed in agony. No one deserved to die such a horrible death, not even a scum like Wen Chao. The woman wasn’t half as attractive or harmless as she appeared to be, back then.

The undead thrived by ingesting its summoner’s blood and feeding on his spirit. Sooner or later, this woman and her kind would spell Wei Ying’s demise. Lan Zhan was certain of this. He would not – could not – let that happen on his guard.

Lan Zhan turned frosty amber eyes to the woman; at Wei Wuxian’s nod, the woman curtsied and made her way down the stairs.

“Wei Ying, you shouldn’t –“

“I already sent her away, Second Master Lan. _Leave it_,” said Wei Wuxian curtly, having heard something along the same vein enough times be impressed. The demonic cultivator then turned to address Lan Zhan’s companions, arms circling into a bow.

“Chifeng-zun, Zewu-jun. It is an honour. I did not expect to meet again so soon. _Hanguang-jun_, too.”

Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen returned the bow. Despite his notoriety in rumours as an undisciplined rogue, it seemed that Wei Wuxian respected the two enough to be on his most decorous behaviour now.

If either man saw through the red woman’s guise – and they must have – neither of them said anything.

“Well met indeed, Young Master Wei,” said Nie Mingjue, lips quirking as Wei Wuxian offered him some of the wine he had been drinking. The love of alcohol, at least, was something he shared with the man before him. He accepted the cup briskly.“What brings you to this little town?” 

“Scouting,” supplied Wei Wuxian with a shrug, “this place is where the Wen territory meet the Jiang’s. We will need to rebuild our border defence, now that the war is done.” 

Nie Mingjue nodded, approving.

No one bothered to ask why Wei Wuxian had been assigned a scouting mission on his own. With his unique ability Wei Wuxian was a whole army unto himself; he could probably just sit there and mobilize his corpses to do all the scouting for him, without even moving a finger.

Lan Zhan imagined him lounging around the inn, pampered by a harem of female corpses as he waited for reports from his undead troops. It was not a particularly pleasant image. His brother threw him a look, silently contemplating.“I see. Young Master Wei must be tired then.” said Lan Xichen, soft smile on his lips as he stepped forward to address the Jiang disciple.

“We will be spending the night at this inn. Perhaps you would like to have dinner with us? I promise wine and spicy dishes to your taste.”

Judging by the surreptitious glances Wei Wuxian had been throwing in Lan Zhan’s general direction, Young Master Wei would like nothing better than to hightail from the inn altogether, before Lan Zhan inevitably tried to meddle in his cultivation again. 

But Lan Xichen had strategically placed himself between Wei Wuxian and the stairwell, all good humour and benevolence; and Wei Wuxian could no sooner turn him down than kick a newborn kitten in the face. He sighed, admitting his defeat. Lan Huan, as always, was a dangerous man in more ways than one.

“Then I will accept your generous invitation, Zewu-jun.”

(People gravitated towards his brother’s kindness like moths to a flame. Lan Zhan envied his brother this ability: all he seemed to be doing was push Wei Ying further away with every word he said.)

* * *

The truth was that he didn’t remember much of the dining part. Wei Ying, he recalled, had tried to put as much distance between them as realistically possible, he’d chosen to sit opposite Lan Zhan, the two Sect Leaders his barrier against the Second Jade’s relentless pestering.

Lan Zhan had let him. It wasn’t as if he intended to broach the subject in Chifeng-zun’s presence, anyway. The Head Disciple of Jiang had then proceeded to studiously avoid his gaze for the rest of the meal, choosing instead to chitchat with the two elder cultivators on various matters.

Lan Zhan had picked up the cup before long. The rest, he supposed, was history.

“What did I do?”

“Ah,” said Lan Xichen, his tone light, “you grabbed Young Master Wei by the wrist and told him what needs to be said.”

Lan Zhan froze, the dread becoming something like true fear.

“Brother, I could not have…”

He sounded almost pitiful. Lan Xichen laid a hand against his arm; this was his little brother, always immaculate and calm against the world and its sundry happenings, and fearing only one thing, one person's rejection. He had seldom seen him so unsettled.

“You told him that you cared, but not _why_,” the First Jade told him, soothing, “though perhaps you should have told him the reason as well.”

“…there is no need.”

Lan Xichen sighed. There was no convincing his little brother when he was like this. He patted his little brother on the arm, consoling.

“Do you want to know what happened afterwards?”

For a moment, Lan Zhan looked like he really didn’t. Letting out a breath, he eventually nodded.

What happened was this: halfway through the meal, Wei Wuxian had found his right wrist locked in a vice grip without prior warning. Chopsticks clattering to the floor, he’d looked up from his meal in shock, expecting an attack.

Apparently, Lan Zhan had reached all across the table - and the various dishes on it – to restrain him. In the middle of a meal. In the presence of two of the Sect Leaders.

Wei Wuxian could not believe this.

“Lan Zhan!” he cried, struggling to free his arm, to no avail; the Second Jade’s grip was simply _inhuman_, even when he was reaching across the length of an entire table. “What are you doing? Let go! _Zewu-jun_!”

It was clear, though, that Lan Xichen shared his surprise. He grabbed Lan Zhan by the back of his shoulders, alarmed.

“Wangji? What’s wrong?”

“Wei Ying,” said Lan Zhan calmly, as though Wei Wuxian wasn’t jerking back and forth like a beached fish in his grip, as though he hadn’t just managed to render both Sect Leaders dumbstruck, “Come back to Gusu with me.”

“Oh my god, Lan Zhan, you’re still on this?” Wei Wuxian howled. He would have kicked the table over Lan Zhan’s stupid head, if Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen were not seated at either side of it.

“Which part of _“no”_ didn’t you understand? I told you the Gusu Lan has no right to punish or imprison me for whatever I choose to practise!”

Feeling no slack in the hold, the demonic cultivator reached towards his belt for Chenqing. Nie Mingjue made a placating gesture at his side, turning critical eyes at the Second Jade.

“Wangji, surely we can leave this discussion for another time.”

Lan Zhan’s grip did not relent, Nie Mingjue’s warning going past his head like a missed shot. The Master of Nie quirked an affronted brow at his sworn brother; Lan Xichen, flabbergasted, craned to look his sibling in the eyes.

“_Wangji._ Look at me.”

Wangji didn’t so much as budge. Wei Wuxian barked out a laugh, thoroughly provoked. He leaned forward to grace Lan Zhan with a scimitar smile, eyes flashing a molten red.

“You know, Lan Zhan, I’d sooner fight you to the death than spend my whole life locked up at the Cloud Recesses.”

Lan Zhan blinked slowly. If Wei Wuxian hadn’t known better, he would have said that the Second Jade looked hurt.

“I don’t want to fight you,” Lan Zhan said earnestly, and added, almost as an afterthought, “Cloud Recesses is a nice place.”

Lan Zhan’s gaze at him was unfocused, those clear amber eyes flickering like broken glass. Something was fundamentally wrong here, and Wei Wuxian had to fumble around his mind before he could find his earlier indignation.

“…I suppose it won’t be as nice if you’re being imprisoned there.”

“Not imprisonment,” Lan Zhan clarified, nodding emphatically as he offered, “I kept your rabbits at the back of the mountain. They sell the Emperor’s Smile at two other inns now.”

Wei Wuxian frowned at him, nonplussed, before what Lan Zhan was trying to say hit him.

“You mean the two rabbits I gave you? You kept them?”

“Mn.”

This took Wei Wuxian by surprise. At fifteen, he’d chucked the furballs at Lan Zhan, taken over by a childish whim to annoy, and would have forgotten about the whole episode if Lan Zhan hadn’t brought it up again. At the time, he had totally expected Lan Zhan to throw them out the moment he turned his back on him.

And then the war had happened. It was apparent, though, that the creatures had managed to survive the burning of the Cloud Recesses long enough for Lan Zhan to reclaim them.

It seemed like a lifetime ago, now.

“You like rabbits.”

“Mn.”

“And what was it about the Emperor’s Smile again?”

“You liked it.”

In other circumstances, perhaps Wei Wuxian would have found this exchange endearing. But he was talking to the cold and unflappable _Lan Wangji_, of all people, and he found himself more concerned than amused at this sudden change in character.

Lan Zhan, Wei Ying knew, was a good person despite all his stuffiness. They’d killed the Xuanwu of Slaughter together, once, and Lan Zhan had cared for his injuries until help arrived. The man was an annoyance, not an enemy; even if they got along like oil and water now, he would hate to see the man hurt.

By now, Nie Mingjue had taken to watching the exchange with the morbid fascination of a man watching a crashing carriage. Lan Xichen, on the other hand, had brought Lan Zhan’s teacup to his nose, his usually placid expression a cross between pained and embarrassed.

“Sect Leader Lan,” Wei Wuxian began slowly, “possession, poison or medication?”

“…Alcohol. Please be at ease, Wangji is not in any danger. My oversight; I didn’t realise that this was wine until now,” Lan Xichen shook his head with a rueful smile, “Wangji has…no tolerance for alcohol at all.”

From Nie Mingjue and Wei Wuxian’s stupefied expressions, they hadn’t realised the drink was alcoholic either. Even when heated, the beverage had smelled and tasted like regular jasmine tea. Why would anyone want to make wine that didn’t taste or smell like alcohol in the first place?

Lan Zhan had gotten drunk on _one cup of wine_. Wei Wuxian didn't think he knew what to do with this information.

“Alright,” Wei Wuxian sighed at a stoic Lan Zhan, who still had his arm in a death grip, “so you’re just drunk. Good. What do you say you let me go, get some sleep, and we all pretend we haven’t seen each other the next morning?”

“The loquats will be in season soon,” Lan Zhan informed him.

“What are you, my Gusu tour guide?” the Jiang disciple gave one last exasperated yank of his restrained limb, and stood to walk across the table towards Lan Zhan so that they were no longer blocking all the food. 

Lan Zhan, still seated, looked up at him with glassy-eyed confusion.

“Okay, change of plans. How about you tell me all about Gusu at your room, and we let Chifeng-zun and Zewu-jun have their dinner in peace?”

“Second room to the right,” Lan Xichen helpfully supplied. The Sect Leader, it appeared, had quickly regained his warm humour when it became clear that his little brother was only drunk, not hurt. Now, he didn't seem to be in any particular hurry to put an end to his younger brother's drunken frolics.

Chifeng-zun gave Lan Zhan one last considering look, as if properly seeing him for the first time. An epitome of righteousness, the man was no doubt making plans to conveniently forget everything he’d ever seen come next morning.

Wei Wuxian had fully intended to coax Lan Zhan into his lodgings and leaving him to rot there. Without his golden core, he had no hopes of ever matching Lan Zhan’s strength; Wei Wuxian had no interest in taking a blow to his own ego this late in the night. The best he could do was hope that Lan Zhan would keel over from the alcohol soon, at which point he would be free to teleport himself back to Lotus Pier and never ever see the other cultivator again.

Lan Zhan, it seemed, had other plans. The Lan cultivator brought himself – and Wei Wuxian – to a halt after a few steps, and lowered his head as though something just occurred to him. 

“Going into my room,” he said haltingly, as though he was _shy_, of all things, “would not be appropriate.” That said, Lan Zhan decided on settling at another empty table only a few steps from the one they were originally dining at, a frustrated Wei Wuxian in tow.

What the hell.

Wei Wuxian briefly entertained the idea of punching Lan Zhan in his pretty face, then thought better of it. Not only would that not go over well with his elder brother, the chances that he could successfully land a hit, even with Lan Zhan royally drunk, was close to none.

The better plan, he guessed, would be to wait until nine, when the rules of the Lan Sect would decree that Lan Zhan (and Lan Xichen too, he supposed) went to sleep. He could entertain himself by drinking himself silly until then.

“Young Master Wei, perhaps I could help?” Lan Xichen called over, ever considerate, and Wei Wuxian waved him off. Lan Zhan, drunk out of his mind, would not be so easily persuaded; he was too tired to play tug-of-war with the Lan brothers right now. The First Jade graced him with an understanding smile, and ordered for wine and food to be delivered to their table.

“Lan Zhan, I swear, if you don’t let go I am going to summon a bunch of corpses right now and _make you_.”

Lan Zhan’s brows drew together. When drunk, his disapproval lost all of its hard edges and icy judgment; instead, the Second Jade of Lan simply looked unhappy. He was so much more approachable this way, a human with true emotions.

“Can’t. Civilian establishment,” said Lan Zhan, and proceeded to hit him with what, by now, had become his familiar catchphrase.

“Demonic cultivation ruins your body and corrupts your spirit. Those who practise demonic cultivation will meet a bitter end; there has never been any exceptions.”

In the past, this would have been Wei Wuxian’s cue to fight the man for the unwarranted insult. Now, though, the alcohol had lent Lan Zhan a softer voice, and for the first time in their exchanges, Wei Wuxian could read lingering worry, not discrimination, between the lines.

Lan Zhan’s concern was an unfamiliar thing, and Wei Wuxian wasn’t quite sure what to do with it.

“Lan Zhan, you don’t have to do this,“ he sighed eventually, “I’m sure your Sect and the Cloud Recesses would need a lot of rebuilding after the Campaign. Hell, _Lotus Pier _needs a lot of rebuilding right now. You’re busy enough over there, so why concern yourself with some other person’s cultivation too? I promise I won’t slaughter a whole village or anything while Hanguang-jun is not looking.”

Lan Zhan didn’t look at him, lips thinning into a stubborn line. “Demonic cultivation _will_ kill you, sooner or later. Ill-meaning people will persecute you for practising it.“

He paused as if considering. 

“Yunmeng is too far away. I cannot protect you if anything goes wrong.”

Lan Zhan, Wei Wuxian found, explained himself _a lot_ more when he was drunk. He’d all along thought that Lan Zhan was worried about the collateral damages he might deal the cultivation world with his demonic cultivation; it had never occurred to him that Lan Zhan could actually be worried about _him, _instead of the world at large.

He propped his head on an elbow, suddenly seeing the man in a new light. Three tables over, Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen had seemingly forgotten about them, and had engaged themselves in a somewhat ponderous discussion on the taste and effects of the offending tea wine.

It was a good opportunity for some answers.

“Lan Zhan, why do you help me? I thought you hate the likes of me.”

“No. Never.”

“Why did you draw Bichen against me every time, then, if you didn’t hate me?”

He could have sworn that Lan Wangji actually looked sullen at the question.

“You attacked me with Chenqing first. Every time.”

“……….”

Well, so maybe that much was true. Now that he thought about it, Lan Zhan had never once fought him in earnest during all these clashes.

“Okay, fair enough. Say I follow you back to Gusu. What will you have me do?” he raised his brows at Lan Zhan, who looked like he might start telling him about some other fun haunts at the Cloud Recesses, “You know I’m not talking about the bunnies, the wine or the loquats.”

“The Song of Clarity will help guard your spirit. I have adapted it to the flute. The Cold Spring will calm your mind. Enough for you to build a barrier against the corruption.”

Not force him to give up on practising demonic cultivation. Now _that_ was a surprise. Lan Zhan had probably seen through the futility of convincing him to give up on the practice, and had considered the alternatives for him, even if that meant teaching him the secrets of the Gusu Lan.

He couldn’t, in good conscience, say that he wasn’t touched by the gesture.

“What if I want to leave Gusu halfway?”

“You are a guest. Not a prisoner.”

“Lan Zhan, the Song of Clarity is a skill exclusive to the Gusu Lan,” said Wei Wuxian, laying a hand against his forehead helplessly, “you can’t just teach it to some other person outside of the Sect.”

“Uncle and Brother have already given me their consent,” was the ready reply, and Wei Wuxian winced; he could already picture Lan Qiren screaming at his nephew for his insolence, and Lan Zhan standing his ground, unshakable as ever. The Gusu Lan, after all, prohibited any association with the wicked and the evil. 

“You are not some other person,” said Lan Zhan.

Ah. So here came the crux of the question.

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian began, not unkindly, “why do you go out of your way to look out for me? You don’t have to. You know that.”

For a moment, Lan Zhan went silent, looking down like a kicked puppy; it was as though this was the one question that he didn't want to answer. Wei Wuxian was about to take pity on him - it was, after all, not nice to force an answer when the man was this drunk - when his fellow cultivator let out a trembling breath.

“Xuanwu Cave,” he offered, a non sequitur; Wei Wuxian was thrown off for a while before he seemingly caught on. He let out a short laugh, reminiscing.

“Thinking back, we did save each other from that fat turtle, huh?”

“Mn.”

"You told me that you hated me, back then."

"...never."

“If I knew you wanted to be friends, we could have skipped all the fighting in between,” said Wei Wuxian with affected cheer, eyes suspiciously damp before he took in a breath, moved to the core by Lan Zhan’s benevolence, “I won’t ever know if you didn’t say anything. Hell, I won’t know if you weren’t _drunk_ in the first place!”

Lan Zhan averted his eyes, endearingly contrite, and Wei Wuxian couldn’t stop the impulsive idea that had taken shape and dominated his mind in that instance.

“Say, Lan Zhan, do you want to be brothers with me? We can make the pact and take on the world together. I’ll be awesome as a brother. We can help each other out, go night hunting together, just like Chifeng-zun, Zewu-jun and Jin Guangyao. We'll be unstoppable. What do you think?”

Lan Zhan’s expression went carefully blank, fine features unreadable as he let Wei Wuxian’s question hang unanswered in the air. Wei Wuxian thought he felt soft hesitance emanating from the esteemed Jade. Maybe he’d misread Lan Zhan; maybe the timing itself was not ideal. His mouth, as usual, had gotten ahead of him, and he hurried to rectify the situation before it could get awkward.

“Sorry, Lan Zhan. I’ll just take that – ”

“Nine o’clock.” Lan Zhan declared, abrupt, “Rest.”

With that, the Second Jade released him and wandered back into his room, Wei Wuxian gaping behind his back in utter astonishment.

“_What?_”

“Young Master Wei, I will take my leave as well,” Lan Xichen headed over at that juncture, entirely unfazed by the whole episode. Wei Wuxian had guessed right; both Lan brothers followed their biological clock like unerring clockwork. The First Jade bowed his way out after his brother, a bemused Nie Mingjue at his side.

“Zewu-jun,” Wei Wuxian had no doubt that Lan Xichen had heard the entire exchange, but had simply turned a deaf ear just to be decorous. Cultivators did have excellent hearing, after all, “What would you think if I called you _Elder Brother_?”

Lan Xichen hesitated. When he responded, his smile was wry with many secrets. “I would have been happy for Wangji.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: LZ doesn't remember his drunken antics, but WWX sure does.


	2. We Now Bind Ourselves As Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As long as he could keep Wei Ying - as long as he was safe - then Lan Zhan was content with the status quo.
> 
> Wei Ying would listen to whatever he had to say, and think him an honourable friend. But at least he would allow Lan Zhan to keep him, and not fight him for everything at every turn.
> 
> That would be enough. That would have to be enough.

In the end, there was little Lan Zhan could say to Lan Xichen’s brutal account of events, except to reply politely that yes, he would like breakfast; yes, he was sober enough to have the inn prepare some himself, Brother, thank you. Would Brother like some food from the kitchen as well?

Lan Xichen brushed his fingers against the side of his younger brother’s wrist before he could remove himself from the room, a wordless _wait_. Lan Zhan stilled himself mid-step, and turned inquisitive eyes at his brother.

“Wangji. You might want to think about what Young Master Wei means to you. He knows that you mean well now. He will listen.”

Lan Zhan had spent so much time trying to derail Wei Ying from the path of destruction that he hadn’t really stopped to consider this. There wasn’t, he supposed, a definite form to his affections, a _somewhere_ where his feelings needed to go. At some point along the way, his feelings for Wei Ying had become a constant, a sentiment always at the forefront of his heart. As long as he could keep Wei Ying - as long as he was safe - then he was content with the status quo.

Wei Ying would listen to whatever he had to say, and think him an honourable friend. But at least he would allow Lan Zhan to keep him, and not fight him for everything at every turn.

That would be enough. That would have to be enough.

The Second Jade tilted his head mutely and stepped out of the room.

* * *

Considering the hour, he hadn’t anticipated Wei Wuxian’s presence in the inn; hadn’t had the heart to deal with his possible reactions given the disaster that was last night.

As luck would have it though, Wei Wuxian was curled up on yet another windowsill on the ground floor, a cat in a sunny nap spot, legs swinging back and forth as he held onto something in his lap. As Lan Wangji made his way across the breadth of the inn, that something _moved_.

The demonic cultivator had once again found himself inhuman company. He was holding a small child in his arms as Lan Zhan looked on, ducking his head as he muttered into the kid’s ear. The child gave a contented hum, doe-eyed and docile as he clutched at his master’s lapel.

Lan Zhan recognized this child, too. He thought of sharp fangs tearing at human flesh, of a small mouth munching on severed fingers, and couldn’t help the repulsion that rose up his throat like bile.

Wei Ying shouldn’t be making the undead out of children’s corpse; shouldn’t make children do his slaughtering for him, he couldn’t help think, but didn’t say.

Some of it must have shown on his face though, because Wei Wuxian let out a soft huff at his expression. The child considered him, the dominating _qi _that suffused the air around him, and buried his face in Wei Wuxian’s shoulder.

“Something you want to say, Lan Zhan?”

Lan Zhan shook his head, his gaze never leaving the child.

“He has been in this form for too long.” he said instead, as Wei Wuxian patted the child, “His spirit is not strong. If you keep on summoning him, soon he won’t be able to reincarnate.”

Lan Zhan waited for the biting retort that would inevitably follow these comments, but Wei Wuxian simply snorted, jostling the child in his lap for attention.

“You hear the good brother, A-dou? You gotta go pass on. I _told_ you it’s time to go, you can’t keep lingering here.”

The child he’d named _bean_, of all things, snuggled himself against Wei Wuxian, whining softly, and Lan Zhan had to fight down the urge to tear the creature off of him.

Wei Wuxian shouldn’t have given the thing a name. Now he was as much the child’s as the child was his; trying to get rid of the resentful spirit would be like tearing a babe from its mother.

“He belonged to the Nanyang Zhao,” Wei Wuxian explained unexpectedly, as A-dou brought chubby arms to the nape of his neck, “Wen Chao slaughtered his whole family like cattle, in the middle of the night. He couldn’t understand why there was so much screaming, and why he had to be so frightened.

“His hatred would have consumed the whole town, so it is better that I summoned him. Isn’t it so, A-dou?”

A-dou giggled against Wei Wuxian’s neck, tickled by the locks tumbling down the side of his face. Lan Zhan could already imagine A-dou sinking those fangs into his master’s flesh, drawing life blood from the slender neck, and couldn’t help the chill that raced up his spine.

The whole ordeal sounded reasonable enough, except that all cultivators worth their names knew that they should not grant names to ghosts, demons or any otherworldly creatures that easily. Names, after all, carried with them unspeakable power and bondage. These creatures were not of this world and not of their kind; getting too attached would only pose a danger to the cultivator’s own spirit. 

Wei Ying was among the best cultivators in his generation. This was something, Lan Zhan thought, that he was no doubt fully aware of.

Except that the man had emerged from the Burial Mounds with his newly acquired demonic cultivation powers, and had started naming the undead left and right.

Wei Ying had truly been flirting with the heretic for far too long, and Lan Zhan intended to put a stop to it.

“I let him avenge his family and told him that he didn’t have to be afraid anymore. But even then he doesn’t seem to want to go on to the afterlife.” Wei Wuxian sounded genuinely baffled, and Lan Zhan had to suppress a soft sigh.

This was Wei Wuxian at his finest: he’d endeared the little ghost with a nickname, held him like he would a sibling, avenged his family, and he still had no idea why A-dou would give up reincarnation just to stay by his side.

He was so oblivious, and Lan Zhan had no idea what to do with him.

“So, um, Lan Zhan, can you do me a favour?”

Lan Zhan nodded.

“Hey, hang on, I haven’t even said _what _yet,” Wei Wuxian laughed softly, and scratched his head, embarrassed.

“A-dou thinks my Song of Rest is a joke. He just flops around and yawns and giggles to himself whenever I play it, as if it’s a lullaby and I’m not trying to get him to _move on already_,” he said, feigning insult.

“You’re much better at this than I am. Can you help send him off?”

What he didn’t say was this: with the loss of his golden core and his practice in demonic cultivation, his requiems had lost much of their power. The dead rose when he beckoned, but would linger loyally even when he asked them to let go.

Lan Zhan regarded him solemnly, as if trying to see through what Wei Wuxian was asking him.

“Yes.”

A-dou’s plaintive cries as Lan Zhan’s Song of Rest washed over him would have sent the whole inn into a panic if Lan Zhan hadn’t had the foresight to put a sound barrier in place. Wei Wuxian held the child close and muttered encouraging nothings in his ear as the resentment left him, the small body fading slowly into dust before their eyes. When the last note of the _guqin _rang, though, the panicked cries had already shifted into soft laughter.

Wei Wuxian watched, charcoal eyes unblinking, as the last of the dust finally glimmered and fell away. When he finally turned around to look Lan Zhan in the eyes, the soft gratitude in his eyes took Lan Zhan’s breath away.

“Thank you, Lan Zhan.”

Lan Zhan merely inclined his head and continued to look at him, a silent question in his eyes.

This issue with A-dou had obviously persisted for some time. Wei Wuxian had never thought of going to Lan Zhan for help, except that he had now. Wei Wuxian could have left the inn like he had obviously intended to, last night. Instead he’d lounged around at the most conspicuous spot possible, the ghost child in his lap, as though he was there for the sole purpose of waylaying Lan Zhan.

Wei Ying was trying to tell him something. He thought he knew what; he wasn’t sure he was ready for that.

“So, um, Lan Zhan, do you want food? My treat today!”

“I would be grateful,” said Lan Zhan, since everyone seemed to be offering food to him today.

* * *

They ate in relative silence. Wei Wuxian had seemingly relaxed somewhat in his presence, digging into his own dishes with a gusto that reminded Lan Zhan of the days before the war, when Wei Wuxian would consume all and everything with the manners of a hungry wolf cub.

“Lan Zhan,” the man finally spoke up when Lan Zhan put down his chopsticks, because _speaking while eating wasn’t permitted at the Cloud Recesses_ and all that shit. He would respect that just this once. Lan Zhan turned to him with questioning eyes.

“Do you usually remember stuff you say while you’re drunk?”

The Second Jade gave him a heavily guarded look, as though daring him to say anything further, and Wei Wuxian chuckled. Either Lan Zhan _did _remember, or someone had kept him up to date with his late night shenanigans.

“I’m not trying to _embarrass _you or anything. God, Lan Zhan, you’re so much fun sometimes.”

This did not appear to placate Lan Zhan, whose look at him sharpened into a glare. Wei Wuxian chuckled some more, then turned in his seat to look at him direct, his eyes the shade of shining obsidian in the midday sun.

“I’m going back to Lotus Pier today,” Wei Wuxian told him, his lips quirking into a rueful smile.

“My job’s done here, so I gotta go. But well…I think it’s something I’d better ask now, since you’re also headed for Gusu and I’m not seeing you anytime soon.”

He shifted uncomfortably, as if he wasn’t altogether sure how to put this.

“I don’t have a family. My parents died night hunting when I was small, and I don’t even remember them that well. Well, _Shijie_ and Jiang Cheng are like my siblings, and Uncle Jiang was like a father to me all these years, but they’ve already done so much for me, and I’m a servant’s son so I can’t possible presume…”

Lan Zhan knew the rumours about Wei Ying’s birth: how he’d been a son to Jiang Fengmian’s servant and good friend Wei Changze, how Wei Changze had subsequently married Cangse Sanren, the woman who had allegedly caught Jiang Fengmian’s heart. How Jiang Fengmian had not hesitated to take Wei Ying in and raise him as his own when both his parents died. And how, as a result, Madame Yu had despised Wei Wuxian like she had hated no one else.

There had even been rumours that Madame Yu would have gladly killed Wei Wuxian there and then, if it meant that the Lotus Pier could stave off the Wens’ invasion for another moment. The corners of Lan Zhan’s mouth tilted downwards.

“You are not merely a servant’s son.”

“Yeah yeah, okay,” Wei Wuxian waved his hand, dismissing the point before it could become a serious argument.

“What I want to say is, I really thought about it last night, and I would be very happy if you’d be my family – if you’d be my brother. I swear that I’m not messing around with you!”

Lan Zhan looked down, long lashes shielding his amber gaze, and didn’t answer. At some point, one end of his forehead ribbon had found its way to the front of his robes. Wei Wuxian watched as Lan Zhan ran absent fingers across the length of the fabric, as if the esteemed cultivator was stalling. He sighed and backtracked, offering a tentative laugh just to break the ice. There wasn’t much mirth behind it. 

“I thought so. No sweat, Lan Zhan, you’re still a great friend, I just thought I’d take another shot, now that you’re actually sober...”

“Yes.”

At the end of the day, he hadn’t been able to deny Wei Ying anything. Lan Zhan was doomed from the very beginning - he thirsted for Wei Wuxian’s affections like a dying man in a desert, and didn’t have the luxury to care about _what _form it came in.

“…_what_?”

He would be anything Wei Ying asked him to be. And in return, he could keep Wei Ying, could have a legitimate excuse to keep the Jiang cultivator close and shield him from the evils of the world. 

Wei Wuxian was returning to his sect. Chances were that they would not meet, not until the next Conference, or until trouble brought the Clans together. This was Lan Zhan’s last chance, something he could not realistically pass up on.

“I would be honoured to be your brother.”

The bright, dazzling grin that lit up Wei Wuxian’s entire countenance at that moment was nearly enough to sooth the sharp ache that threatened to tear his chest apart.

* * *

Lan Xichen knew that something was wrong the moment his little brother closed the door behind their mutual room.

“Wangji, have you eaten?”

“Brother,” Lan Zhan didn’t turn around, his hands lingering on the doorframe moments too long, and Lan Xichen could discern stress from the rigid lines of his brother’s back, “what is our clan’s ritual for forming a pact of brotherhood?”

Lan Xichen was instantly alarmed. He reached out to guide Lan Zhan to the centre of the room, his hands ghosting over his brother’s tense shoulders.

“Sit down, Wangji.”

His brother did.

“Wangji, you shouldn’t be doing that,” the First Jade sighed, pained, as Lan Zhan stared resolutely at a spot on the oak table. He couldn’t quite believe the folly of his lovestruck sibling.

“You don’t see Young Master Wei that way. This isn’t right; nor is it fair to either of you. Once you took the oath, there is no going back – you _must_ take Young Master Wei as your brother, and _nothing else_. Do you understand?”

“He does not see me any other way,” was the even reply, the lack of infliction in Lan Zhan’s voice breaking Lan Xichen’s heart.

“If you want, Brother can talk to him for you. You haven’t even given him the _chance_ to consider it any other way, Wangji. I’ve already said this once: maybe you should.”

Lan Zhan stilled, and shook his head minutely.

“This is for the best. He trusts me now. He will stay, and be safe.”

His precious little brother looked up, and Lan Xichen saw, for the first time in many years, the lost child standing in front of their mother’s cottage, asking him why mother had needed to go; if mother didn’t want to see him because he had been bad, and whether mother would stay, if he behaved.

Mother hadn’t been able to be at their side regardless of what he did. But maybe if he played this right, Wei Ying would stay, for a change.

“Brother, I have already given Wei Ying my word.”

“You foolish child,” Lan Xichen admonished, more exhausted than angry, and Lan Zhan shifted his gaze back to the oak table, chastised.

Lan Xichen eventually had to leave him to his foolish machinations, knowing too well that whenever his little brother told him his decisions, they were already final, and didn’t need his input.

Maybe, the First Jade rationalised, maybe this was a good thing, and an easier path for Wangji. Maybe someday, Wangji would grow comfortable with having Wei Wuxian as his brother, would accept that his romantic feelings were not meant to be reciprocated.

Wangji would remain the impeccable Second Jade of Gusu. He would not need to endure the icy rage of the elders, nor would he need to face the mocking disdain of the cultivation world should he choose to make his feelings known.

He would be able to back Wei Wuxian in times of strife, his own formidable might and the weight of the Lan Sect behind him, and stand his ground by the other’s side. In time, he would finally let go of whatever teenage crush that he had on the Jiang cultivator, and settle with a lady who matched him in wits and temperament.

But Lan Xichen knew his brother, and this was not the way it was going to go.

* * *

They emerged from the room, mirror images of pristine white, to find Wei Wuxian hounding Nie Mingjue like an overexcited puppy. They were drinking again; Wei Wuxian pouring wine down his own throat with a careless swig that reminded Lan Xichen of his younger self, back when Cloud Recesses still stood tall and Wei Wuxian was gallivanting around the place like he owned it.

Before yesterday, in the midst of the Sunshot Campaign, this image would have been a jarring one; but Lan Xichen had seen how his own brother got around Wei Wuxian when drunk. Nothing was ever quite as surprising thereafter.

“We took our oaths at the dais at Nightless City. Why does the place even matter, if the hearts are true?” Nie Mingjue was saying, voice gruff, to Wei Wuxian’s agreeing nod.

“Yeah, that’s what I think, but then when you’re doing rituals with a Lan…”

“Then you ask the Lan in question. Xichen!” Nie Mingjue called out, his loud voice reverberating around the inn as he spotted his sworn brother behind Wei Wuxian’s shoulder, “Young Master Wei here is asking what the Gusu Lan would need, before he could claim Wangji as his brother. Tell him.”

“Sect Leader Nie!” Wei Wuxian protested at the choice of words. Lan Zhan stood emotionless to Lan Xichen’s side, as though none of this had anything to do with him.

“I don’t suppose the place matters,” replied Lan Xichen mildly, “as Big Brother says, it is the heart that counts.”

But the heart, Lan Xichen thought to himself, is not true. Heavens help them all.

“Lan Zhan, is that right? Where do you want to do it? What do we need for the ceremony? Incense, sacrifices, wine…better not wine again…would tea do?” He looked to the two elder cultivators, askance. Nie Mingjue gave him a somewhat indulgent shrug, Lan Xichen an approving smile.

With Wei Wuxian right in front of him, it was only too easy to see why Lan Zhan had felt compelled to make the pact. Wei Wuxian’s happiness emanated off him in waves, having found a kindred spirit who would stay, who would care despite his reputation for the heretic, at the end of a series of losses and tragedy.

“Anything will do,” Lan Zhan said softly, the _if it is with you_ unspoken but so very clear to Lan Xichen's ears. Wei Wuxian beamed at him.

“Then how about we take the oath at Yunmeng, and I show you around Lotus Pier afterwards? I’m sure Shijie and Jiang Cheng would have liked to witness that.”

Lotus pods that have their stems attached produce sweeter seeds, he remembered Wei Ying saying, years ago, and watermelon skin could be fried and eaten. These were Lan Zhan’s only impression of Yunmeng, of Wei Ying’s home, before it went up in flames. The Second Jade was sure that Jiang Yanli would have welcomed his newfound brotherhood with her _shidi_. He couldn’t say the same for Sect Leader Jiang.

He nodded.

“He has a pure soul, not yet tainted by the resentful energy he commands. He will make a good brother,” Nie Mingjue said, one hand clapping heavily on Lan Zhan’s shoulder as Wei Wuxian eventually went off to pack his luggage for the trip, his excitement trailing off after him like a palpable force field.

“Guide him, Wangji. See that he does not fall to his own powers.”

Was that, Lan Zhan wondered, what Nie Mingjue had wanted for Jin Guangyao himself? Was that why he'd agreed to have Jin Guangyao as his younger brother, no matter how much he scorned his character and doubted his words?

Lan Zhan bowed, his gratitude for the righteous leader of Nie heartfelt.

“I will. I swear it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a watercolour sketch with WWX and A-dou [ right here ](https://www.deviantart.com/shoha/art/MDZS-811145702) !
> 
> Two chapters into this thing, and no one is taking any oath yet. Dammit.
> 
> The Chinese characters for A-dou are 阿豆 i.e. little bean. Because WWX, obviously, can’t give better nicknames to his little wards. He hails from the Nanyang Zhao (南陽趙氏）- I made that up. Don’t fret.
> 
> WWX to A-dou: Am I a joke to you?
> 
> I've always wondered *why* novel!WWX would actually summon undead out of *children*. Just for maximum horror effect and to scare Wen Chao shitless, I suppose, but it still makes me cringe. At least WWX does not walk around holding an undead baby or something.
> 
> In case I haven't mentioned, the titles of the story and the respective chapters come from the famous Oath of the Peach Garden.
> 
> CQL!Nie Mingjue strikes me as one of the few persons in the clans, particularly the four Clans, who does not actively hate on WWX. Sure, he goes all huffy and stinky-eyed whenever WWX actively destroys his own reputation, such as barging into meetings unannounced, not wearing his sword or cutting into conversations all haughty-like, but he's never actually condemned him for anything, not like how he's condemned Jin Guangyao for his deceit. Given Nie Mingjue's character, I think that he does not hate WWX, and is somewhat understanding of the path he's chosen (despite his reputation for righteousness; well, the cultivation practice of Nies leans towards demonic anyway). This is not to say he endorses WWX for his increasingly abrasive behaviour, but I do think that at least, they would be able to drink together amicably even after the Sunshot Campaign. 
> 
> Next up: Jiang Cheng is not actually amused by anyone stealing his remaining family, especially if that someone is Lan Wangji. WWX should have known.


	3. That We May With One Heart and United Strength

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter in a nutshell:
> 
> ** [You have a new brotherhood suggestion: LAN 'WANGJI' ZHAN]**
> 
> **[You have sent LAN 'WANGJI' ZHAN a brotherhood request]**
> 
> **[LAN 'WANGJI' ZHAN accepted your brotherhood request]**
> 
> **[JIANG 'WANYIN' CHENG sent you a brotherhood request]**  
**[JIANG 'WANYIN' CHENG sent you a brotherhood request!] **  
**[JIANG 'WANYIN' CHENG sent you a brotherhood request!!!] **  
**[JIANG 'WANYIN' CHENG sent you a brotherhood request!!!!!] **

“When I told you to scout the borders,” Jiang Cheng gritted out, once Wei Wuxian had stepped into the hall, “I didn’t mean ‘_go marry yourself off to the Gusu Lan._’”

On any other occasion, Wei Wuxian would have found this hilarious. Now, though, Jiang Cheng stood rigid in the shadows of the ancestral hall, the plaques of his ancestors looming collectively, and Jiang Yanli was nowhere to be seen. Wei Wuxian could feel the storm on the horizon, threatening to overwhelm them both.

Wei Wuxian knew Jiang Cheng like he knew no one else; had known this was not going to be pretty the moment Jiang Cheng sent Lan Zhan to a guest room with the curtest courtesy, snapped _“Meet me in the ancestral hall”_ at him and stalked off, a whirl of purple robes and sparkling fury in his wake.

And for what? For once, the Head Disciple of Jiang wasn’t sure if he knew what was going on in Jiang Cheng’s head.

Wei Wuxian sighed, grabbing himself a cushion to kneel on. If they were going to fight this out in the family hall, in front of all the ancestors, at least they could do it kneeling.

“And here I thought it’s _Lan Zhan_ marrying into our Sect!” he said in reply, his tone tentatively airy, and Jiang Cheng’s eyes _blazed_, the way Zidian did whenever it unfurled from Jiang Cheng’s grasp in a lethal arc.

“Don’t mess with me, Wei Wuxian. What is the _meaning_ of this? Is Lotus Pier not good enough for the illustrious Young Master Wei anymore?”

“Hey, hey, Jiang Cheng, hang on. _Hey_.” Wei Wuxian made a grab for Jiang Cheng’s arm, frowning as his foster brother threw him off and began prowling around the room, an angry feline on the hunt.

“What are you even _on_? We’re just talking about an oath of brotherhood!”

“Just _an oath of brotherhood_, you say. So tell me. Since when have you even been on speaking terms with Lan Wangji?”

“Since Lan Zhan managed to tell me, in intelligible language, that he wanted to be friends! I thought I told you about this part!”

“What are you, three? Do I need to remind you that the last time you confronted Lan Wangji, he tried to _cut Chenqing into half_ and I had to appeal directly to Zewu-jun for him to leave you the fuck alone _or else_?”

“Well…” Wu Wuxian rubbed an absent finger against his nose, because while he could see where Jiang Cheng was coming from, he may or may not have attacked Lan Zhan with Chenqing first, “it turns out he was just concerned about me. Or something.”

“So Lan Wangji incidentally got drunk on_ one cup of wine,_ and told you all about how he’s always looked out for you and how much he wants to be a bro. Ha. That’s rich. Every clan who wants dibs to your power should’ve tried that stunt, if _that’s_ all it takes to win your brotherhood.”

Wei Wuxian frowned at the insinuation, because while he was used to Jiang Cheng’s unforgiving half-insults, Lan Zhan had done absolutely nothing to earn this slight to his character.

“That’s not true, Jiang Cheng. You know Lan Zhan, you’ve fought beside him in the Campaign. He doesn’t do things like that.”

“I don’t _know _the Second Lan. We joined forces because we had to, it isn’t as if I’m his _friend_.”

The Sect Leader of Jiang didn’t quite want to remember that part of the Campaign, the months of trying to build a whole new Sect in secret with only the Second Young Master of Lan as his backup. He had refused to accept that Wei Wuxian had died because he couldn’t afford to, not in the middle of the war, despite all the evidence that said otherwise.

Instead, he had carried Suibian around like a delirious fool for months on end, bearing the futile hope that Wei Wuxian would return to them alive. What would be a better example of attempting the impossible, indeed, than waiting for a dead man to rise from the Burial Mound?

It wasn’t like it was _Lan Wangji _who’d carried two swords on his belt for those excruciating months.

“If it wasn’t for him, Lotus Pier wouldn’t have burned,” Jiang Cheng couldn’t help but say.

On better days, he could actually understand that the destruction of his Sect could not be pinned on the Second Jade. The Wens were set on destroying them all from the start, and would have come for them regardless of whether Lan Wangji or Wei Wuxian provoked Wen Chao. There was no point blaming Lan Wangji, and by extension his remaining family, for what was already past.

Except that this was not a better day. Lan Wangji had shown up at the Lotus Pier a mere _month_ after the damn war, and had proceeded to take said remaining family away from him.

“You mean to say that Lotus Pier wouldn’t have burned if not for me,” Wei Wuxian said, quietly, “is that what this is about?”

No, Jiang Cheng wanted to say, but couldn’t. There was something brittle and mad in Wei Wuxian’s red-tinged gaze, something that had always lurked in the depths of his foster brother’s eyes throughout the war, and the Master of Jiang struggled to slam that particular Pandora’s box shut before the blaming game started in earnest. This wouldn’t even be the first time it happened.

“There is a _reason _why people forge these bonds, Wei Wuxian,” Jiang Cheng said instead, halting in his relentless pacing to tower over Wei Wuxian.

_There is a reason why Father married Mother_, he wanted to say, but didn’t.

“Did you think the Three Zuns became sworn brothers because they simply thought it would be _fun_ to hang out together? Think again. Sect Leaders Nie and Lan are upright, not simple.”

“Lan Wangji probably doesn’t want your power, but he’ll want your repentance. He wants to get you to swear off demonic cultivation, so that the world wouldn’t succumb to evil or something. What good is the _Hanguang-jun_, after all, if he cannot be the beacon of light for the cultivation world?”

“Do you absolutely have to diss Lan Zhan like this?” Wei Wuxian said, brows furrowed and lips pursed. “He just wants to help because he cares.”

Jiang Cheng scowled.

“Then say it. Say that Lan Wangji _doesn’t _want you to stop using demonic cultivation. Say that he _doesn’t_ plan to lure you into Cloud Recesses, so that he could hit you with whatever cleansing rituals the Lans have down their sleeves. Say that he would be fine with just the way you are.”

Wei Wuxian hesitated, and Jiang Cheng latched onto the moment, a vulture seeing blood.

“He’s not like _us_, Wei Wuxian,” He crouched to look his foster brother in the eyes, unrelenting and aggressive. Willing him to understand. Wei Wuxian simply looked lost.

“I’m _never_ going to replace you and Shijie. You know that,” Wei Wuxian protested, “I just thought if he could be another…”

“Is it because we have never been proper family to you in name?” Jiang Cheng said, abrupt, and Wei Wuxian blinked, entirely blindsided.

“I can take the oath with you, if that is what’s missing. Declare you our brother to the cultivation world. Name you my successor. You know Sis would do it in a second. Is that what you are looking for?”

Madame Yu would have actually whipped him senseless with Zidian if he had ever dared to suggest that to her face. But Madame Yu was dead, her remains nowhere to be found. He was the Sect Leader of Yunmeng now, and had to do what he must to keep what’s left of his family intact.

Jiang Cheng wasn’t even saying it out of sarcasm, Wei Wuxian realised, and stood up, furious.

“If you even _think_ for a second that I want your position as Sect Leader…”

“You don’t. That’s the problem. You _don’t_ try to think about things like this. You want to take the oath just because you think Lan Wangji looks cool. But you forget that you’re the_ Head Elder _of Yunmeng Jiang now, not some rogue cultivator.”

He squeezed his brother by the shoulders, grounding him, his grip tight enough to bruise.

He knew Wei Wuxian had always tried to distance himself from Yunmeng Jiang’s affairs, mostly for the Jiang family’s peace of mind. As a boy, Wei Wuxian would consciously flaunt his mercurial, fun-loving nature, particularly before Madame Yu, just to show that he wasn’t a threat; wasn’t going to compete with Jiang Cheng for anything that wasn’t rightfully his.

But this wasn’t the time for these acts. Other sects were starting to see Wei Wuxian – powerful and unruly as he was - as a separate entity from the Jiangs. Jin Guangshan had sent them a conference invitation, requesting specifically for Wei Wuxian’s presence as if he was not a part of Yunmeng Jiang. Lan Wangji had even tried to openly poach the demonic cultivator without notifying him. It was a matter of time before they decided they could lay their hands on Wei Wuxian without any interference from the Jiangs. This wasn’t safe, either for Wei Wuxian or for his Sect.

“We’re weak, Wei Wuxian. With the Wens gone, other Clans would engulf us in a moment if given half a chance. We can’t let you run off to Gusu Lan indefinitely, forgo your cultivation, or whatever Lan Wangji thought would be remotely _helpful_.”

“So you’re saying you’ll be my sworn brother just to ensure Yunmeng Jiang survives,” Wei Wuxian said dryly, “I’m touched.”

“Should I get all drunk and tell you that I’ve always dreamed of being a bro?” Jiang Cheng sniped, because that would have been redundant as shit.

“I don’t have an heir, Wei Wuxian. We can’t make _Sis _shoulder the Sect if anything happens to me. _You’re_ my heir if it ever comes to it. It’s just as well.”

Wei Wuxian shrugged. It was a moot point, because Wei Wuxian would die protecting Jiang Cheng before it ever came to that. “My surname isn’t even Jiang, for starters. Just get a wife already, Jiang Cheng.”

“Fuck off. Have you ever had any luck with all those girls you’ve flirted with?” His foster brother said, retort ready and instinctive, and Wei Wuxian couldn’t help a wan smile despite the circumstances.

“No. Instead I have two dudes fighting for my hand in brotherhood. I’m exhilarated.”

Wei Wuxian grinned at him, playful but not, feeling Jiang Yanli’s conspicuous absence in that second. _Shijie _would always welcome him at the docks every time he came back from wherever he was sent to. Given that he’d sent news of his return ahead of time, it was indeed very strange for Jiang Yanli not to be waiting for him at Lotus Pier, this time.

Jiang Cheng had sent her somewhere under some excuse, he realised belatedly, probably to prevent her kind-heartedness from foiling what he had wanted – needed - done.

He had truly grown into a fine Sect Leader, Wei Wuxian thought, admiring, and softened his voice.

“So what is it that you want, Jiang Cheng? What would you have me do?”

“We fill in the gaps. We do what should have been done in the beginning,” said Jiang Cheng, eyes narrowed in purpose, as he moved aside to reveal the plaques of Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan in the middle of the hall. Wei Wuxian’s gaze wavered, momentarily struck motionless by guilt.

Following the destruction of Lotus Pier, Wei Wuxian had stopped defying him on anything that truly mattered. Jiang Cheng knew what Wei Wuxian thought: that he was, at the end of the day, a servant of the Jiangs, that he’d singlehandedly caused the destruction of the Jiangs, and must therefore trade his life for Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli’s, if it ever came down to that.

Jiang Cheng endorsed none of these notions, but hell if he could break Wei Wuxian from this masochistic line of thoughts. Jiang Cheng knew that he had his parents’, his clan’s lives on Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian would not refuse Jiang Cheng his oath, if that was what Jiang Cheng truly wanted.

He would use it just this once, for Wei Wuxian’s own sake.

“If you see me as a brother, we’re going to take the oath before my parents, before all the ancestors of the Jiang family. What else do we need for the ceremony, Wei Wuxian?”

* * *

“Young Master Wei,” said Lan Xichen said behind the half-closed door of Wei Wuxian’s room, “can I come in?”

“Sure, just a moment,” Wei Wuxian paused in his frantic scribble and stood up, smiling, “what do you need, Zewu-jun…Brother Xichen, can I say that yet?”

Lan Xichen hadn’t felt that tired in a very long while.

“…What are you working on?”

“Family letter,” Wei Wuxian said; and Lan Xichen nodded; of course Wei Wuxian would be writing family letters in an illegible cursive. Back in Cloud Recesses, the Jiang disciple had copied their Sect rules in a crazy hand calculated to confound and aggravate, and did exactly that.

“I better tell Jiang Cheng and _Shijie_ that we’re getting a new brother, instead of just showing up with Lan Zhan in tow.”

If anything, it was hard not to admire the alacrity with which Wei Wuxian took action. Lan Xichen settled at his side, pondering.

“Actually, Young Master Wei, there is one thing about the oath I’ve been meaning to speak to you about.”

“There is?” Wei Wuxian looked up, surprised. As stuffy as the Lans were, there was no way they could ban even the _oath of brotherhood_ at Cloud Recesses. At least Lan Xichen himself had taken it, hadn’t he?

“Disciples who have not yet come of age do not take the oath of brotherhood,” Lan Xichen explained, framing his words carefully, “the reason is that the Sect deems that they are not mature enough to make such a serious decision.”

It would take another year before Lan Wangji – or Wei Wuxian – come of age officially. But they were celebrated figures of the cultivation world and war heroes; had fought and killed and took up burdens that would have been too great for any adult to shoulder. To say that they were in any way _immature _would have been a crude joke.

The Lan Sect didn’t encourage its disciples to take oaths of brotherhood or sisterhood before they become adults, but did not actually _ban _it. In any case, the esteemed Hanguang-jun was not just _any_ disciple, and no one would ever dream of challenging his decisions on the ground of immaturity.

It was far-fetched and abrupt, and he was horrible at lying, even by omission, but Lan Xichen would have to try, for his little brother’s sake.

“Lan Zhan hasn’t said anything about that,” Wei Wuxian said slowly, remembering Lan Zhan’s silent reluctance with a sudden clarity.

“Wangji would have gladly kneeled before the Elders for a month, if it is for you,” Lan Xichen said, another half-truth, “It would be a lot easier if you two could delay the oath until you have come of age.”

One year. Long enough for Wangji to finally get through to this oblivious man, he hoped.

It seemed a good enough excuse, but Wei Wuxian was oblivious, not stupid. He turned a slightly amused smile at Lan Xichen, ash-coloured eyes just short of challenging.

“Zewu-jun, if the Lans have a problem with the likes of me, I hope you’ll just let me know directly,” he said, giving his ink brush a little twirl, “I’ll kneel with Lan Zhan before your elders, if that is what it would take. Just name the price, and I’ll do it.”

Lan Xichen sighed a long-suffering sigh. “So obstinate, both of you.”

“There is no guarantee what tomorrow will bring, as Zewu-jun will understand,” Wei Wuxian said, uncharacteristically sage as he thought back to the war, “I’ll take what I can get today. I think Lan Zhan would agree with me.”

“I ask that you reconsider. I promise that no one in Gusu Lan would object to this oath, should you choose to proceed after two years.”

Wei Wuxian opened his mouth for a retort, but there was another knock on the door, soft and polite, and there could be no question of who was behind it.

“Hello there my brother,” Wei Wuxian sing-songed, for Lan Xichen’s benefit, and the Sect Leader let out a soft huff.

“……” Wei Wuxian could feel the frown on Lan Zhan’s stoic face even as he pushed on the door. “Brother. Wei Ying.”

“What is it, Wangji?” 

“A Conference invitation from Lanling Jin, half a month from now,” Lan Zhan informed both of them, slender fingers exhibiting the folded paper with the recognisable peony insignia on it, “the Jiangs, of course, have been invited. Sect Leader Jin requests specifically for Wei Ying’s presence.”

This didn’t look _too_ suspicious in itself. Wei Wuxian had a penchant for skipping conferences, meetings and banquets whenever he could get away with it, unless Jiang Cheng personally forced him to appear, so it was not uncommon for other Sect Leaders to request his personal attendance, mostly out of spite.

This time, though…

“What does Jin Guangshan want, the slimeball?” asked Wei Wuxian, annoyed, as Lan Xichen pointedly pretended to not to hear the insult.

“Your Stygian Tiger Seal, perhaps,” mused Lan Zhan, direct as ever, and let out a breath. “Let’s make haste and return to Lotus Pier.” 

Lan Zhan’s prediction was accurate: it wasn’t even two months after the war, and the Sects were converging on Wei Ying. But he’d got Wei Ying, now. He would be Wei Ying’s family and support faster than Jin Guangshan could even say _Stygian Tiger Seal_.

“Wangji…” Lan Xichen started, sharply, but Lan Zhan’s gaze no longer brooked any argument.

“I will see you directly at the Conference, Brother.”

There was nothing more Lan Xichen could say to that.

* * *

He shouldn’t have suggested that they went back to Lotus Pier on horseback. Lan Zhan was instantly suspicious, amber eyes trained on his face as he regarded him silently.

“Riding takes days,” said Lan Zhan, assessing, “we should fly.”

“I’d like to,” quipped Wei Wuxian, “but I left Suibian at Lotus Pier.”

“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan said, simply, and it was Wei Wuxian who had to avert his eyes this time.

“Later, I promise,” he sighed eventually, uncomfortable, and half-glared at Lan Zhan. “Why do you make me feel like your little brother already? Come to think of it, are you older or younger than me? I just know that we were born in the same year.”

“Older. January,” Lan Zhan affirmed, even as he summoned Bichen from its sheath.

“It’s just as well, since you’re always trying to discipline me anyway,” said Wei Wuxian brightly as he stepped onto Bichen in front of Lan Zhan, “Say, Lan Zhan, I’ve been thinking.”

“Mm?”

“Do I call you _Da-ge_ like how Zewu-jun calls Sect Leader Nie, or do I just call you _Er-ge_, since well, _Da-ge_ would be confusing with Zewu-jun being your family’s Big Brother and all? Or maybe _Zhan-ge_ would make it easier.”

Wei Wuxian tried to turn on his sword to look at him; Lan Zhan wound an arm around his waist, steadying him. Wei Wuxian felt warm in the crook of his arm, a comforting weight at the end of a long chase.

“Don’t play around,” he admonished, and replied in a gentler tone, “Whatever feels right to you.”

“_Er-ge_, then, since I’m so used to you being the Second Jade of Lan,” Wei Wuxian decided, then added for good measure, just to annoy, “_Er-gege_!”

“Wei Ying,” said Lan Zhan, in what Wei Wuxian now recognised as his kicked puppy tone, “Don’t play around.”

“Don’t _‘Wei Ying’_ your little brother, my esteemed _Er-ge_,” said Wei Wuxian, “Jiang Cheng calls me _Wei Wuxian_. My _shijie_ calls me _A-Xian_, or _Xian-Xian_. Choose your pick!”

He could feel Lan Zhan tense behind him at the mention of _Xian-Xian_. Lan Zhan was probably struck mute by his shamelessness, like Jiang Cheng was on a daily basis. Wei Wuxian chuckled.

“…A-Ying,” he said, eventually, “_A-Ying_.” 

“Here here, A-Ying reporting!” said Wei Wuxian, his laugh carrying through the wind, and Lan Zhan wished this moment would go on forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Sect politics (tm) ahoy in this entire chapter. 
> 
> JC has no faith in humanity, LXC tries and fails to lie, and LWJ will forever talk in double entendre. To be fair, I think LXC took the oath because he genuinely thought NMJ and JGY would be fun to hang out with. He is too good for this world.
> 
> And I love the idea of WWX copying the Lan Sect Rules in crazy cursive.
> 
> Next up: Shijie is even less amused at JC than JC is at WWX, and unrest at Lotus Pier ensues.


	4. Resolve Our Difficulties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The resolution of the LWJ-WWX-JC Brotherhood Triangle that no one asked for, as told by Jiang Yanli.

Jiang Cheng watched, patient, as his longtime brother bent his head, a prey frozen in place.

“Don’t do this, Jiang Cheng,” he said, subdued, “I promised Lan Zhan. I _proposed_ to be his sworn brother. This isn’t something I can take back.”

“Speaking of promises, you also promised that we’ll be the Twin Heroes of Yunmeng, like how our fathers were, unless I imagined it. Can you take _that_ back?”

“How about you take the oath with Lan Zhan and I? That solves everything. It’ll even be a good inter-sect tie, if that’s your thing.” Wei Wuxian tried, and recoiled when Jiang Cheng fumed, a simmering fire lent fuel.

“Don’t _start_,” Jiang Cheng warned, finally dragging a cushion over to sit cross-legged in front of Wei Wuxian, “We have all day. Feel free to sort out your priorities before you tell my parents anything.”

It was utterly impossible to talk reason into Jiang Cheng when he was like this. Wei Wuxian sighed, and reluctantly prepared himself for a stalemate.

“You and Shijie will never stop being my family. You _know_ that.”

“And are you willing to put that to oath?”

When Wei Wuxian remained silent, Jiang Cheng sniped acidly, “What use is your claim of _family_ when you can’t even convince me that we’re worth more than some sweet-tongued outsider from the Lans?”

“…Lan Zhan is not…” Wei Wuxian began again, tired, but was distracted by the feel of soft skirts brushing against his shoulder, the familiar fragrance of lotus and soil and _home_ permeating his senses.

He was only half a month from her side, Wei Wuxian realised, and he already missed Jiang Yanli like a phantom limb.

“_Shijie_! Shijie_, _I’m back!”

Jiang Yanli smiled down at him, soft countenance lit by the candles in the ancestral hall, and Wei Wuxian brightened immediately upon sight of her, latching onto her legs from where he was kneeling like an oversized toddler. His shijie ran a soft hand down the side of his face, indulgent.

“A-Xian, welcome back. Was it a difficult trip?” He’d been back well before schedule, after all.

“Not at all! I hitched a ride with Lan Zhan on Bichen – you wouldn’t believe how fast he could fly!”

He _still _wouldn’t shut up about Lan Zhan, and Jiang Cheng resisted the urge to slap him upside the head.

“Sis.” Jiang Cheng said instead, strained, because he hadn’t counted on her returning so soon, when she should have been out receiving guests from some relatively minor sects in his stead. Jiang Yanli smiled a knowing smile at him.

“Speaking of Second Young Master Lan, he is lingering outside in the hallways.” _Pacing_, she didn’t say, because someone like Lan Wangji didn’t pace, “Why have we left our guest in the hallways? I thought he came this far to Lotus Pier to become A-Xian’s brother. We must show him proper courtesy.”

Lan Zhan had probably taken note of Jiang Cheng’s icy reception to the prospect of his brotherhood with Wei Wuxian, had noticed that something was wrong. Was Lan Zhan worried that he’d face repercussions at the hand of his own Sect Leader for his decision? It wasn’t like Jiang Cheng was going to _hurt_ him or anything, but the concern was heartening all the same.

“We’ll see about _that_,” Jiang Cheng couldn’t help but bite out, venomous, “Why is the Second Lan going around like he owns the place, anyway?”

Jiang Yanli tilted her head, ebony hair sliding across slender shoulders. She’d known that something like this would happen.

Ever since they had received Wei Wuxian’s letter from Qishan - in which Wei Wuxian had entirely neglected to tell them about his mission, but had spent the entirety of the contents giggling and gushing about how much he was looking forward to taking the oath with Lan Zhan - Jiang Cheng had been sporting an expression that was thunderous and disquieted in equal measures.

Jiang Yanli had put her maids on notice for Wei Wuxian’s arrival. When news reached her that Jiang Cheng had stormed off into the ancestral hall, dragging Wei Wuxian with him, Jiang Yanli had cut her official meeting short without any hesitation.

“A-Chen, A-Xian, what are you two doing in the ancestral hall?” She asked now, lightly, and the air in the ancestral hall _froze_.

“I’m going to take the oath of brotherhood with Wei Wuxian before our ancestors, now that we have time to put our affairs in order,” Jiang Cheng said, gaze directed pointedly towards the plaques, and Jiang Yanli frowned.

“…what about Second Young Master Lan? I thought he came to take the oath with A-Xian?”

“He’s an outsider.” As if that explained everything.

Jiang Yanli paused and cast her gaze towards Wei Wuxian, who looked back at her helplessly.

“A-Xian?”

Her adopted brother looked down, withdrawing into himself like all the times she’d found him huddled on a tree, blocking himself from the evils of the world, and Jiang Yanli _knew._

“…A-Xian, have you shown Second Young Master Lan around Lotus Pier yet?”

Wei Wuxian’s head snapped up, obviously expecting another question. She shook her head softly at his stupefied expression; these boys never did grow up.

“That won’t do, A-Xian. What kind of a host are you if you don’t even show Second Young Master Lan around the place? Shoo now. Shijie will help you choose a good date for the oath while you entertain him.”

She gave him a gentle push, a shepherd herding her lamb. Wei Wuxian nodded, dumb, and let her push him out the door.

“Wei Wuxian, don’t you fucking _dare –_ “

“_A-Cheng_.”

Jiang Cheng had seldom seen his sister angry, not when others made jabs at her lack of cultivation, not when lesser sects muttered _see how the great falls _behind their backs during the war. She was definitely angry now, slender eyebrows rising into her hairline as she stared him down. Jiang Yanli barely even came up to her little brother’s chin, and she had the Sect Leader of Jiang cowering before her gaze.

“A-Cheng, what are you doing to A-Xian?”

He meant to tell her that this was his decision as Sect Leader, that Wei Wuxian owed his loyalty to the Jiangs first and foremost, that this was something she shouldn’t interfere with.

“Lan Wangji wants to take him away from us. He’s filling Wei Wuxian’s head with ideas about an adopted family, a new brother, when he just wants Wei Wuxian to drop demonic cultivation,” he spat instead, pointedly not looking at her.

“We’re here first, Sis. _We’re _family. Why doesn’t Wei Wuxian understand that?”

He still looked so young, thought Jiang Yanli. Her brother had yet to come of age. He’d dressed himself in the regal robes of his father, armed himself with the lethal lightning of his mother, and it still didn’t confer him the dignity and authority he sorely needed as Yunmeng Jiang’s Sect Leader.

“Listen to yourself, A-Cheng. And here I thought only _A-Xian_ is one-year-old,” berated Jiang Yanli, running coaxing fingers through his neat hair, and Jiang Cheng couldn’t help but lean into her touch.

“A-Xian won’t think he _needs_ to make a pact with you. You’re already his brother. Making an oath under these circumstances would only taint what you two already have,” she explained in soothing tones, “It’s all just semantics, A-Cheng, and A-Xian doesn’t care about that.”

Jiang Cheng scoffed.

“The idiot won’t even know what _oaths_ are for. Give him a girl, and he’ll think he doesn’t really need to marry her if he loves her enough.”

His sister blinked, because eloping sounded exactly like something her A-Xian would do. Not that he needed to, because she and Jiang Cheng would endorse any girl he chose to bring into Lotus Pier without question, as long as Wei Wuxian was happy.

“But it’s not just semantics, Sis. There’s something _else_ we can’t ignore.” Jiang Cheng laid a hand on top of his sister’s briefly, mulling over his next words.

“He’ll call Lan Wangji _brother _after the pact is made, see him as family; but he would never call us anything other than _shijie _and_ shidi_. He’ll never promise us anything other than that he will serve the Jiangs, and be my right-hand man for life. He’ll never be able to integrate into our family, because he never really sees – and will never see - himself as part of it.”

And so much of it had been his own doing. Under Madame Yu’s watchful eyes, he had never dared to suggest to anyone that he saw Wei Wuxian as his brother. He’d thought that it would have been openly apparent that Wei Wuxian was different from all his other martial siblings. He’d thought they had been true siblings in anything but name, no matter how the world saw them.

Seeing how taken Wei Wuxian had been with Lan Wangji and his proposal of brotherhood and family, it obviously hadn’t been apparent enough.

“_I’m_ in charge now, Sis. I can fix this. Let me do this for Wei Wuxian. For us.”

“Hm…” Jiang Yanli hummed, ponderous, “Maybe my Cheng-Cheng is slightly older. Five.”

“_Sis!” _

_“_A-Xian is a free soul. He’s always been that way. When have you been able to force him into anything?”

The answer was – of course – never, and not for lack of trying. Jiang Cheng had conceded a long time ago that Wei Wuxian would do whatever pleased him, and nothing else.

“He will be so sad if you make him eat his words and turn away Second Young Master Lan - he’s grown so attached to him. Why would you make him sad?”

The firm line of Jiang Cheng’s mouth did not waver. The proud tilt of his jaws reminded Jiang Yanli so much of their mother that she had to smile.

“You can’t expect me to back down on this one, Sis. I won’t let Lan Wangji take him away. If he’s only listening to me on _one _thing at all, this has to be it.”

She tapped a reprimanding finger against his forehead, because her little brother was dense and only knew how to throw himself against brick walls, sometimes.

“Then don’t. But there are other ways to keep A-Xian with us. Other ways that don’t involve forcing him to do things that he doesn’t want to do.”

There was a playful light to her clear eyes, and Jiang Cheng inclined his head, momentarily thrown.

“Sis, you’re saying…”

“Silly A-Cheng,” she sighed, “Why take the oath, when you can simply add A-Xian’s name to our clan pedigree? That way, he can be true family, rather than sworn family.”

Jiang Cheng’s eyes widened with understanding.

* * *

The Jiangs did not approve of his proposed brotherhood with Wei Wuxian. That much was apparent in Jiang Cheng’s haughty demeanour, in the way Lotus Pier had been lukewarm if not discourteous in their reception of his arrival.

Lan Zhan attended the reception dinner feeling like an unwanted bride. Wei Wuxian accompanied him, chattering distractedly on the way about pheasants and lotus pods and the snack stalls just outside the door of the Jiang establishment, but Lan Zhan could see the simmering nervousness in his smile, the way he kept twisting his fingers in his robes. Wei Wuxian, it was apparent, had genuinely not expected any hiccup from the Jiangs at all.

Had he, unknowingly, driven a wedge between Wei Ying and his Sect? Had he thought of extending his help, only to create even more problems for the Jiang disciple to juggle?

“Wei Ying,” he said, cutting through the other’s rant effortlessly, “Do not worry. We will deal with it as it comes.”

Wei Wuxian visibly drooped. He hadn’t expected Lan Zhan to be so blunt about it. “This shouldn’t be so difficult. I don’t want to be fighting Jiang Cheng for this.”

“No fighting,” agreed Lan Zhan, though it was easier said than done. It was well known that Jiang Wanyin gave exactly zero fucks for false niceties and petty compromises. Second Young Master of Lan or not, he’d go toe-to-toe with Lan Zhan if the situation called for it.

Lan Zhan could empathise. After all, he concerned himself with little else when Wei Ying’s safety was at stake.

“But Shijie says she’ll help us choose a good date for the oath, so there’s that,” Wei Wuxian continued, mostly to himself, and smiled absently at the Jiang disciples bowing to him at the corner. He couldn’t recognise these new disciples. He couldn’t recognise a lot of things in this new Lotus Pier, and the fact disconcerted him sometimes.

“Mm.”

“Maybe we should have taken the oath at Qishan. Makes things a lot simpler,” Wei Wuxian mused, “Do you think he’ll be fine if I take the oath with you and him separately?”

Lan Zhan shook his head no, because Jiang Wanyin was plainly expecting Wei Wuxian to make a choice between the Jiangs and himself, and Wei Ying knew it.

It didn’t matter either way, because Lan Zhan was not letting go of Wei Ying. He would be there, in whatever capacity Wei Ying needed, if only Wei Ying would have him. How the Yunmeng Jiang saw him was a non-issue.

“We will see what Sect Leader Jiang wants.”

What Wei Wuxian saw, upon entering the dining hall, was Jiang Cheng looking viciously pleased, like a cat who ate the canary. This was the exact kind of look he sometimes got from thoroughly terrifying his new disciples.

It was a good look on his foster brother, Wei Wuxian decided; way better than the uncertainty and bitterness that had taken over him back in the ancestral hall.

Jiang Cheng stood, personally guiding Lan Zhan to the seat of honour before making a vague gesture for Wei Wuxian to settle to his immediate right. Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but note the sheer _distance _his foster brother had put between his seat and Lan Zhan’s, and struggled to contain a laugh at this petty show of Jiang Cheng’s displeasure.

Jiang Yanli smiled innocuously at them both, and Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but be comforted by his shijie’s mere presence.

“Hanguang-jun, we are honoured to have you with us at Lotus Pier,” Jiang Cheng began as he settled in his seat, the master of Lotus Pier, and motioned for food and drink to be served.

Lan Zhan settled into a perfect bow, all his teachings on proper courtesy going into autopilot. “The honour is mine, Sect Leader Jiang. Thank you for having me. My greetings to Miss Jiang as well.”

Jiang Yanli curtsied.

Wei Ying privately rolled his eyes, and wished that they would hurry up with the niceties already. Luckily, Jiang Cheng – unlike his father - was not known for his patience, and dived straight into business.

“The Yunmeng Jiang must thank you for looking after our Head Elder,” Jiang Cheng continued pleasantly, “It heartens me that your relationship with Wei Wuxian has taken a turn for the better since the Sunshot Campaign.”

Lan Zhan inclined his head, expressionless.

“I have heard from Wei Wuxian that you would like to take an oath of brotherhood with him, here at Yunmeng.”

“Indeed,” affirmed Lan Zhan, opting to look Jiang Cheng in the eyes.

“I must say that it comes as a surprise,” the vicious sharpness had returned to Jiang Cheng’s smile, and he met Lan Zhan’s gaze somewhat challengingly, “after all, the Second Young Master has insisted on taking Wei Wuxian to Cloud Recesses for quite some time, for reasons apparent to us both.”

When the Second Jade didn’t react, Jiang Cheng moved to drive his point home.

“I trust that you will understand my concern when I know of your…newfound fondness of Wei Wuxian.”

Lan Zhan’s face did not betray an inkling of what he might be thinking, and watching from the side, Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but envy him his poker face.

“…I merely did not wish for Wei Ying to come to any harm. I will not let him come to any harm, from now on.”

Touching words, thought Wei Wuxian, considering that they came from the stoic and wordless Lan Zhan, but knew better than to interrupt. He doubted that either of them wanted his input right now.

The ice in Jiang Cheng’s eyes, however, did not thaw.

“Touching words, Hanguang-jun,” remarked Jiang Cheng, in a tone that said he thought it was anything but, “Shall we toast to that?”

The ensuing toast was as tense as it was awkward.

“My sister has helped pick an auspicious date for the oath – three days from now. I hope Hanguang-jun will find it appropriate.”

Wei Wuxian’s mouth dropped open. Jiang Cheng was willing to concede, _just like that_? It wasn’t like his foster brother to go down without an explosion.

_“Huh?”_

“What, Wei Wuxian, you have something to say about the date?” Jiang Cheng threw at him, all pretense of decorum and grace dropping as he turned peeved eyes at his foster brother.

“No…Sect Leader, of course not.” Wei Wuxian said hastily, knowing better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“That would be most appropriate,” said Lan Zhan, a slight pause his only sign of surprise, “I must thank Sect Leader Jiang and Miss Jiang for the kind arrangement.”

“Having said that, I must ask Hanguang-jun not to try keeping Wei Wuxian at Cloud Recesses,” Jiang Cheng said, “He won’t survive a week without breaking a dozen of your Sect rules, as he’s no doubt demonstrated before. And he _does_ have Sect duties here at Lotus Pier, no matter how often he tries to dodge them.”

He spared a glare at Wei Wuxian, who looked like he had something to say to that, and the demonic cultivator shrunk back without protest.

“I will give you my words that Lotus Pier will always be open for Hanguang-jun, as the sworn brother of Wei Wuxian, should you decide to visit.”

Lan Zhan recognised a veiled warning when he heard one. Jiang Cheng was setting ground rules for his brotherhood with Wei Wuxian; the Sect Leader of Jiang would not hesitate to put a stop to their upcoming oath if they were not followed. 

He wouldn’t be able to hide Wei Ying in Gusu, where no one would be able to find or hurt him. He would not find Wei Ying outside the Jingshi, feeding and stroking his rabbits; would not be able to show Wei Ying around Caiyi Town, where Wei Ying could indulge in Emperor's Smile to his heart's content.

The Yunmeng Jiang would be watching. Jiang Wanyin had been clear on this part. 

But…he thought of waking up in Lotus Pier, the faint scent of lotus blooms in the air; of picking lotus pods and cruising through riverways with Wei Ying. He was surprised to find that it did not sound any less appealing.

If the notion of being cooped up in Cloud Recesses daunted Wei Ying, if Wei Ying didn’t like to be tied down by the numerous rules of his Sect - then he could teach him the Song of Clarity here in Yunmeng, where he was most comfortable and relaxed. In hindsight, this was perhaps a better idea than whatever fantasy his smitten mind had come up with.

He nodded.

“I must also ask Hanguang-jun to let Wei Wuxian decide how he wants to further his cultivation. This is, I believe, not something even a sworn brother can meddle in.”

Lan Zhan paused at the second demand. He’d hoped to convince Wei Ying to forgo demonic cultivation and take up the sword again, once the timing was right. He couldn’t concede on this point, when he was so certain that demonic cultivation would be Wei Ying’s destruction.

It was slightly humiliating, how Jiang Wanyin thought he could dominate the dynamics of his relationship with Wei Ying. But he cast his eyes at Wei Ying, who was looking on to their exchange with wide-eyed trepidation, and Lan Zhan knew that there was nothing to be won here.

“Wei Ying will do whatever he wants. It has always been the case.” He allowed, and Jiang Cheng held his gaze for a long moment before letting him go.

“I’m glad we seem to understand each other,” Jiang Cheng said, his tone just slightly short of smug.

And that was that.

“Hanguang-jun must try the rib and lotus root soup I prepared,” Jiang Yanli cut in, having said absolutely nothing on the matter of their oath, “it has always been A-Xian’s favourite.”

This seemed to catch Lan Zhan’s attention, and the Second Jade turned to study the soup before him with curious interest.

And like that, the entire issue was over and dealt with. Wei Wuxian spent the entire dinner feeling unsettled by the turn of events, stealing looks at Jiang Cheng the whole dinner like he was afraid his foster brother would spontaneously combust. Lan Zhan seemed to have taken this in stride, going through his food with the silence and impeccable grace he was best known for.

The mystery unveiled itself towards the end of the fare, when Jiang Cheng rose from his seat and raised his wine cup towards the room in general.

“Today is a joyful occasion, and we have another cause of celebration,” Jiang Cheng began, the faux-pleasant smile never having left his lips, “and since Hanguang-jun will be the sworn brother of Wei Wuxian soon, we ask you to bear witness to this.”

Lan Zhan blinked, caught entirely unawares.

_Fuck_, thought Wei Wuxian, here it goes. To his surprise, however, it was Jiang Yanli who spoke up, her soft voice carrying clearly across the entire dining hall.

“A-Cheng and I have discussed,” she said, her smile growing wide, “We would like to adopt A-Xian as our brother.”

_“What?”_ exclaimed Wei Wuxian, again. This seemed to be all he was saying throughout the meal.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while, A-Xian,” Jiang Yanli explained as she met her shidi’s bewildered eyes.

“When I heard we’ve lost you to the Burial Mounds, the only thing I could think of was how we haven’t even had a chance to be a proper family. That was my only regret. That is something I don’t want to bring to the grave.”

“Oh, Shijie,” Wei Wuxian said, alarmed at how Jiang Yanli’s eyes seemed to be glistening with unshed tears, because he wouldn't forgive himself if he made Shijie cry, “Hang on, don’t cry, I came back just fine! And you’ve always taken care of me more than I ever deserve, really, it doesn’t…”

“Shut up and let Sis finish,” demanded Jiang Cheng, and Wei Wuxian snapped his mouth shut, leaning forward anxiously.

“A-Xian, if you would have us, if that’s how you see us too, we’d love to adopt you as a Jiang.”

“But this isn’t _proper _-your mother would…” Unable to stave off his shijie’s kindness, Wei Wuxian turned helpless eyes to his foster brother.

“My mother asked you to protect me,” Jiang Cheng retorted, because like _hell_ someone like Wei Wuxian would be concerned with propriety, “like we would protect you from the world.”

He gave Lan Zhan a look, and Wei Wuxian stuttered.

“Jiang Cheng, don’t be stupid. The cultivating world will _talk_, you know what they’ve said about Uncle Jiang, about my parents. There’s no need to add fuel to the fire.”

“And do I look like I care? We both know it isn’t true. And if Sect Leader Jin is still going strong with all the lascivious rumours about him, I doubt something like that could kill me.”

The jab at another Sect Leader would have been inappropriate if it wasn’t so true, and Wei Wuxian had to stifle a smile.

“Jiang Cheng, if it’s about…” he glanced in the general direction of Lan Zhan, who had opted to stay quiet throughout the discussion, and Jiang Cheng huffed.

“It’s not, stupid, though I do thank Second Young Master Lan for speeding things up. I haven’t even had the _chance _to think about how we should go, from the war.”

In the heat of the discussion, Jiang Cheng had come over to kneel at the side of Wei Wuxian’s low table, all propriety forgotten, and Wei Wuxian grabbed at his wrist urgently, unable to formulate a proper argument against the whole thing.

“But…”

“And before you even start, we do not mean any disrespect to your parents. I honestly don’t care if you refer to yourself as _Wei Wuxian_, or _Jiang Wuxian, _outside these doors. Suit yourself. It isn’t as if we have any elders left to care about things like that.

“You’ll still be a Jiang. Your name will still be on the clan pedigree. You got that?”

Shit. Jiang Cheng’s face was blurring before his eyes. Wei Wuxian looked away, lips trembling, until Jiang Cheng yanked at him.

“... damn, you’re crying. I’m asking you a question. Why are you even crying?”

He rubbed an embroidered sleeve across Wei Wuxian’s eyes roughly, as though he was a dirty tabletop that needed scrubbing, and shoved him for attention.

“Fuck,” Wei Wuxian managed, “You’re scrubbing my face off.”

“It’s a yes or no question, Wei Wuxian,” Jiang Cheng said, his hand coming to a rest on Wei Wuxian’s shoulder. “Yes, and we head back to the ancestral hall right now. No, and I’ll personally throw you out of Lotus Pier. To the dogs.”

Lan Zhan – bless his righteous soul – looked disquieted at that, but Wei Wuxian had heard enough tough talk from Jiang Cheng to know that, if anything, he would only be throwing the dogs out.

“If you would have me. Jiang Cheng, Shijie…if you would have me. Yes. Please.”

* * *

When Wei Wuxian finally remembered to turn overjoyed eyes at Lan Zhan, there was a tilt to the man’s lips that was _definitely _a smile.

“Wei Ying, congratulations,” he said, with more genuine inflection than either Jiangs had ever heard from him, “I am happy for you.”

It was then Jiang Yanli decided that she liked the Second Young Master of Lan as a person.

“Lan Zhan! _Er-ge_! Meet my family!”

Wei Wuxian grinned with the force of ten suns, and would have physically thrown himself at Lan Zhan if Jiang Cheng had not been quick enough to grab him by his collar. 

“Hanguang-jun doesn’t _like_ being touched. Now come along, and stop being such a nuisance.”

Bowing briefly, Jiang Cheng hauled Wei Wuxian off to the door as though he was a wayward puppy. For a moment, Jiang Cheng and Lan Zhan shared a look that might have been mutual resentment.

Covering her mouth with a sleeve, Jiang Yanli came to stand before Lan Zhan, expression soft.

“Second Young Master Lan,” she said, a twinkle in her eyes, “A-Xian has told us so much about you.”

Lan Zhan nodded in polite acknowledgment, and tried not to direct his mind to what sort of things exactly Wei Ying had been telling his foster family.

“Take care of our brother for us, will you?”

He would. And between him and the Jiang siblings, they would together make sure that Wei Ying did not come to any harm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the Yunmeng siblings dynamics even more than I love Wangxian. Please send help, people.
> 
> I know that the default position in both canon and fanfic is that WWX would follow LWJ to Gusu - but why shouldn't it be the other way around? LWJ would definitely fare better in Lotus Pier than WWX would in Cloud Recesses. And LWJ, bless his lovestruck soul, is so smitten that he'll follow WWX practically anywhere, anyway, so here we go.
> 
> Next up: the oath of brotherhood that no one wanted.


	5. And Support Each Other in Strife

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I…” Lan Zhan’s hand fluttered above his sleeve, where he’d brought with him miscellaneous gifts for Wei Ying’s delight, from the most potent of medicine to the rarest of spiritual items. He curled his fingers into a fist.
> 
> “I have nothing to give you, A-Ying.” He reached up hesitantly, slender fingers ghosting across his own face, and undid the ribbon on his forehead with a sharp tug. 
> 
> “I have nothing to give you,” Lan Zhan repeated, his voice only a quiet whisper as he placed the ivory coloured fabric in his sworn brother’s upturned palm, “except this.”

Lan Qiren’s letter, brought forth by a courier talisman in the form of a shimmering butterfly, reached Lan Zhan a mere day before the date of the oath.

Lan Zhan hadn’t known what to expect from his uncle where his brotherhood with Wei Ying was concerned. Lan Qiren had, after all, disliked Wei Ying from the very start, in the typical way a teacher shunned a particularly undisciplined student.

And then war had fallen upon them all, and suddenly his students’ discipline, or lack thereof, became the least of his uncle’s worries.

And amidst all the chaos, Wei Ying – as he’d once foreshadowed in Lan Qiren’s class all those years ago – had somehow found a way to call upon the shadows to do his bidding.

Maybe his uncle saw Wei Ying, lured astray in his desperation to seek revenge, a slight to his pride as an educator. He’d been the Jiang cultivator’s teacher after all, no matter how briefly, and he’d let Wei Ying deviate in his education in the worst way possible. Wei Ying had been one of the most gifted students Lan Qiren had ever taught. But if they were not careful, Wei Wuxian could turn out to be the cultivation world’s greatest terror after the Wens.

But he wouldn’t, not on Lan Zhan’s watch. Lan Zhan let the talisman land on his palm, the spiritual butterfly extending itself into a letter.

“_Wangji,_

_I have heard from Sect Leader Nie and Xichen your decision to take the oath of brotherhood with Young Master Wei of the Yunmeng Jiang. _

_I must congratulate both of you in finding a kindred spirit in each other, though it surprises me that you’re able to get through to him. Report has it that he trusts very few, and listens to none these days._

_You are aware of the tainted power he wields. The cultivation world has no place for such power, now that the war has ended. You know what will happen to Young Master Wei, to the cultivation world, should he ever lose control of the shadows._

_Make him understand that his revenge has been exacted in full. Let him know that he can lay that cursed flute of his to rest. From what I know of the late Sect Leader Jiang, he would have wanted that for his head disciple. _

_Lead him back to the way of the sword, but tread carefully. Do not do anything that would put yourself in dire danger, and tell Xichen if you ever need help. Your brother and I have sent gifts to Lotus Pier in time for the oath._

_ -Lan Qiren” _

Lan Zhan tilted his head, slightly surprised that the notion of his brotherhood had sat better with his uncle than with Sect Leader Jiang. He supposed, reading between the lines, that Nie Mingjue and his brother had personally gone to his uncle and appealed on his – and Wei Ying’s - behalf. He didn’t know how to thank the two of them enough for this. Folding the letter into a square, he slipped it into his sleeves and continued his search through the crowded market for his soon-to-be sworn brother.

Lotus Pier hadn’t even finished putting up red lanterns in celebration of Wei Wuxian’s – _Jiang_ Wuxian’s - adoption into the Jiang family when news of discord hit Lan Zhan. Apparently, the Twin Heroes of Yunmeng had gotten into a big fight, sparked by Wei Ying’s continued dereliction of teaching duty.

In the midst of all this, Jiang Wanyin had thrown Wei Ying _through_ a wall by accident. Wei Ying had fled Lotus Pier absolutely livid, and the entire Lotus Pier trembled in collective fear.

According to Jiang Yanli, this wasn’t something entirely unheard of. The Yunmeng duo were used to playing rough with each other, and disputes between them were usually resolved by heated brawls or swordfights. It was not something, explained an embarrassed Jiang Yanli, that Lan Zhan needed to be particularly concerned about.

Lan Zhan could only nod mutely; there was nothing much he could say to that. When Wei Ying didn’t turn up for lunch and Jiang Cheng had grown noticeably distracted, however, Lan Zhan offered to track the man down without thinking.

Now that he was outside the Jiang establishment, it was apparent to Lan Zhan that the Jiangs were incredibly well loved by the Yunmeng population. It was also clear that the people of Yunmeng knew literally _everything _about their resident cultivation sect. The moment he started inquiring about Wei Ying’s whereabouts, the townsfolk of Yunmeng had flocked around him, well-meaning and fascinated.

“Are you the rumoured sworn brother of Young Master Wei?” cooed a flower girl as she leaned unabashedly into his personal space, “You do look very handsome.”

“They say that you are a very proper young master,” noted _yet _another maiden with dark curls and doe eyes as she pressed a sachet of salted melon seeds into his unsuspecting hand, “Help us say congratulations to Young Master Wei on becoming a Jiang!”

Lan Zhan was struck by a sudden understanding that this was Wei Ying’s home, filled to the brim with his admirers and sweethearts. The maidens of Yunmeng were lively and forward, brightening the town with twinkling eyes and lovely smiles. It was small wonder, in retrospect, that Wei Ying hadn’t wanted to set foot in Cloud Recesses at all.

Why should he, when all that Wei Ying had loved was right _here_, right at this place?

* * *

A flower, a sachet of melon seeds, a windmill, a bundle of lotus pods and two red bean pastries (all of which the Second Jade had fought futilely to pay for) later, Lan Zhan was finally able to make out from the townsfolk where Wei Wuxian was headed. Scouting around the main lake on Bichen, he spotted the Jiang cultivator a short distance away from the pier, conversing with his undead creation on a boat.

Wei Ying didn’t seem to notice him hovering above, his attention focused solely on some kind of contraption on his lap as he lay, face up, on the bow of the boat. Meanwhile, the undead - Lan Zhan could recognise her as the woman in red from before – watched her master with rapt attention.

“It’s not working! Xiao-Hung, why does the blue needle keep pointing to you? You’re not even a monster!”

Lan Zhan watched coolly as Xiao-Hung leaned slightly to the side, one lovely finger tapping against her face in consideration.

“At least the needle for the undead is pointing in my direction. You’re dividing resentful energy into too many categories, Young Master, it isn’t working.”

“What’s the point of this thing if it can’t tell you_ what_ is approaching?” Wei Wuxian lamented in defeat, “Great, now I’ll somehow have to fix it overnight in time for…”

Blinking, Wei Ying looked up to a pair of unimpressed amber eyes staring upside-down at him, and jumped up with an undignified yelp.

“_Er-ge_! Don’t scare me like that!”

The demonic cultivator scrambled to his feet to greet him, his smile overly bright as he moved to block the rest of the boat from Lan Zhan’s view. When Lan Zhan dismounted from Bichen onto the boat, Xiao-Hung - and the wooden item Wei Ying had been fiddling with – had already vanished into thin air.

“Wei Ying,” said Lan Zhan, a conceding sigh in his voice as he met too-innocent eyes, “…I brought lunch.”

“You did?” Wei Ying exclaimed, pleasantly surprised, and started pawing through Lan Zhan’s qiankun pouch like a small, greedy animal. He discovered the melon seeds with a pleased little “oh”, and proceeded to munch on them with close-eyed bliss.

“Er-ge, I can’t believe you went market hopping without me!” the man said, hand against his heart as he feigned devastation, “I could have shown you all the pretty shopkeepers like I’ve promised!”

Lan Zhan stiffened, because he had already seen all the pretty maidens for himself and didn’t need Wei Ying pointing them out. “I went to look for you.”

“Me?” Wei Ying stopped in his snacking to peer at him, cheeks puffing like an overstuffed rodent, “Lan Zhan, did you want to hang out with me?”

Lan Zhan gave him a plainly exasperated look.

“Are you hurt?” He meticulously set out the basket of food Jiang Yanli had prepared for Wei Ying, delicacies of fire red sprawling over clay dishes. Lan Zhan had taken care to keep them warm with his spiritual energy, and white smoke ballooned from the bamboo basket the moment he took off the cover.

Wei Wuxian, still demolishing the sachet of seeds, looked momentarily lost at his question; Lan Zhan gave him a once over, wordlessly checking for injuries.

“Proper food before snacks,” he instructed, replacing the sachet with a pair of chopsticks. Wei Ying gave an exaggerated pout but did not argue.

“I’m fine, it’s just a _wall_,” Wei Ying beamed at him, prodding at his rice, “We’ve done that pretty often since we were kids. Beat the living daylights out of each other.”

Lan Zhan looked discomfited at the idea of the Twin Heroes of Yunmeng brutalising each other as a part of their daily routine. He could not, for the life of him, think of throwing _Lan Xichen_ against a wall under any circumstances. Slightly stunned, he let Wei Ying work his way through the dishes, weighing his choice of words before speaking up again.

“I was told you declined to teach the disciples.”

Wei Wuxian paused. “Don’t wanna. Teaching is boring.”

“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan chided, “You’re a Jiang now.”

“Jiang Cheng can do it better than I can.”

“Sect Leader Jiang is only one person.”

“I can’t believe you’re actually here to tell me off for Jiang Cheng, Er-ge.”

“I am not.” Lan Zhan said, frowning as he brought his point home, “Wei Ying…you still haven’t brought Suibian with you.”

Wei Ying gave him a sullen, shuttered look, as if seeing him for the first time, and paused in his annihilation of the food before him. “Don’t want to.”

“_Wei Ying_,” prompted the Second Jade, and it was intriguing how much Lan Zhan managed to convey by various inflections of Wei Wuxian’s name, “Sect Leader Jiang will find out, sooner or later.”

“There is nothing to _find out,_ Lan Zhan. I thought we agreed that you’re not going to try to _fix _me.”

There was an unmistakable streak of red in his narrowed eyes, and Lan Zhan was instantly on guard. It was quickly becoming a landslide back to all their arguments and fights during the SunShot Campaign. Lan Zhan paused, striving to vocalise an appropriate response that would put a stop to the rising conflict.

“You said _‘later’_,” said Lan Zhan, “You said, _“I promise”_.

Wei Ying deflated at having his words thrown back at him, if only momentarily. “Can we not? I don’t…”

“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan’s voice was laden with sincerity, “Trust me.”

There was a long silence where Wei Wuxian worried at his chopsticks, as if he was considering crushing them in his fist. “You’ve got to promise that you’re not going to tell Jiang Cheng or my shijie on me.”

Foreboding clutched at Lan Zhan’s heart, even as he nodded under Wei Wuxian’s guarded look. “…Wei Ying, you have not been well. I have noticed.”

“I…” Wei Ying jerked forward, dark bangs hiding his expression from view as he struggled with his emotions, “Lan Zhan, the thing is, _I don’t have a golden core anymore_.”

The silence that ensued was a truly dreadful thing.

It occurred to Wei Wuxian at that point that he might have made a horrible, horrible mistake in bringing Lan Zhan into this, after all. Wei Ying had never seen Lan Zhan so panicked, graceful composure shattering into a thousand pieces as the man grabbed his arm in a death grip.

“What do you mean you _don’t_…! _Wei Ying_, how…”

“The war. The Core Melting Hand,” Wei Wuxian allowed tentatively, watching devastation creep into those exquisite amber eyes with a sense of helplessness.

“You lost it in those three months you went missing. Your practice of demonic cultivation…_that was why_.”

_Bad life decision indeed_, Wei Wuxian thought, as Lan Zhan – bright young master that he was - pieced the events together in abject horror.

“It’s alright, Lan Zhan. What happened _happened_. It’s just that if you’re hoping to get me to cultivate properly again, it won’t work,” he tried for an offhand tone, but the damage was already done. Lan Zhan was clutching at the fabric in front of his own heart, looking like someone had punched the air out of him, and suddenly Wei Wuxian was exhausted beyond words.

“Don’t – don’t _pity_ me, Lan Zhan. I don’t need your pity. Just don’t tell my family. That’s enough help already.”

“It’s not.”

“Huh?”

“It’s _not _enough, Wei Ying. If I had…if I had come for you earlier…”

It was immensely difficult, Wei Wuxian found, to be defensive at a heartbroken Lan Zhan. This, he thought, was exactly why Jiang Cheng and Shijie _couldn’t_ know. They’d be devastated, and Wei Wuxian could not deal with their devastation, not now and not ever.

The demonic cultivator settled for a heavy sigh, rummaging idly through Lan Zhan’s qiankun pouch until he found the red bean pastries.

“But you _did_ come, Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian told him, mollifying, as he nudged one of the red bean pastries into Lan Zhan’s clenched fist as a peace offering, “…All the way to Lotus Pier. I _am_ thankful.”

“How do you…intend to keep it from Sect Leader Jiang?” Lan Zhan spoke up eventually, “You cannot wield a sword. You have no spiritual power at all. Sect Leader Jiang has grown up with you. He will suspect something soon, if he hasn’t already.”

For a moment, Wei Wuxian looked like a caged beast, wild and feral. “He _can’t_ know. Maybe I’ll think of something. Tell him I can’t cultivate properly because of demonic cultivation.”

Lan Zhan gave him a _look_, because Jiang Cheng was obviously not an ignorable fool and Wei Wuxian knew it better than he did.

“Not now, no. I’d rather hug a gigantic dog. Help me, please, Er-ge?” The last part was said as a soft plea.

Lan Zhan nodded reluctantly, looking slightly inquisitive at the dog part. He straightened, running absent fingertips over the pastry in his grasp. 

“I will ask Uncle for access to the Restricted Library. If I can find a way to cure you, Sect Leader Jiang…will never need to know.”

Wei Wuxian cocked his head at him in indulgent amusement, because Lan Zhan was no more an ignorable fool than Jiang Cheng was, and must know for a fact that golden cores could not regenerate.

“Hey,” he coaxed, when the stressed lines between Lan Zhan’s brows did not recede, “You don’t need to push it. I survived the war. I can’t say that for a lot of other people. That’s enough.”

_“It is not enough,”_ Lan Zhan said, a mantra of sorts, “I will fix this. I will. I will find a way.”

It would have been exceedingly cruel to disillusion him on this point, at this time, so Wei Wuxian simply smiled at him through bites of his own pastry.

* * *

“Stop fucking _moving_, Wei Wuxian.”

“I’ll stop moving if you’ll stop messing with my…ow, that _hurts_! Fuck you, Jiang Cheng!”

Jiang Cheng gave a particularly vicious tug to the ebony hair in his grip at the curse, and Wei Wuxian grudgingly ceased his struggles before the Sect Leader decided to tear his hair out.

“Why are you putting my hair up in fancy knots? I’m not a _girl_!”

“_Because_,” his brother gritted out, reaching for a lotus-shaped hairpiece carved out of red jade and yanking Wei Ying along with him, “you’re absolutely _not_ going to the ceremony looking like the Jiangs have been mistreating you. If I’m going to sell you off to the Lans, I’m going to doll you up and put a bow on you for what it’s worth.”

He slipped the hairpiece over Wei Wuxian’s hair, a finishing touch, and clocked him on the shoulders roughly. “There you go. Look something less like a street rat now.”

Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes at him, touching his hair gingerly as he stared into the copper mirror in front of him. Jiang Cheng, it seemed, had somehow managed to beat his unruly hair into submission, gathering it into a sleek topknot and securing it with the intricate hairpiece. Twin braids ran along the side of his head, twisting together elegantly before disappearing under the flame-coloured ornament his brother had picked for him.

“Aw, we have matching braids now. How cute. Was that what you were aiming for, matching braids with your elder brother?”

Jiang Cheng looked like he wanted to smash Wei Wuxian’s head into the mirror, but jumped back in shock when red energy snapped at his fingers without warning. The Sect Leader stared, non-plussed, and it took moments before he could figure out what had attacked him.

“You blasted thing, _I _gave you to him! I’m not trying to attack him!” he snapped at…_something_ above Wei Wuxian’s head, and Wei Wuxian realised that Jiang Cheng was actually talking to his _hairpiece_. Fascinated, he caressed the item, feeling rivulets of spiritual energy nudging back in a silent _hello_.

“Hey, Jiang Cheng - it’s a spiritual item,” he said in quiet awe, running gentle fingers against it in greeting. Jiang Cheng folded his arms across his chest, his expression a cross between pleased and embarrassed.

“A _top-grade_ spiritual item, mind you,” he added with palpable pride, “That jade is Flame Jade. It will protect you against ambushes from men and monsters alike. I’ve synced it with Zidian. It will…let me know the instant you’re in trouble.”

“Incredible,” Wei Wuxian muttered, before narrowing his eyes in sudden suspicion, “And where did you get something like that from?”

Jiang Cheng hesitated, before finally opting for honesty. “It’s a Jiang family heirloom, one of Father’s possessions. I retrieved it when we took over Nightless City.”

Wei Wuxian’s eyes widened. “I can’t just go around taking Uncle Jiang’s things!”

When he frantically moved to take the ornament off, Jiang Cheng batted his hand off without mercy.

“It’s _father_, _Jiang Ying_. He’s always treated you as a son. You forget.” Wei Wuxian quieted at that, properly berated, and the Master of Jiang clapped him on one shoulder in reassurance.

“Keep wearing that. It’ll defend you if…someone tries to throw you into a wall or something.”

It was as close an apology as Wei Wuxian could get with his prideful brother, and Wei Wuxian couldn’t help the fond smile that found its way to his lips.

“But then I’ll have to wear my hair in a topknot for it to fit!” he mock-protested, and Jiang Cheng made to throttle him before thinking better of it.

“Then _wear your hair in a goddamn topknot_, and don’t go gallivanting around the place with your hair in complete disarray!” He picked Wei Wuxian up as though he was a small animal and ushered him out the door.

“Sis is setting up the altar at the dais. And this…” he threw Wei Wuxian a small silver plate with the Yunmeng Jiang insignia engraved on it, “is what I promised Lan Wangji. Unrestrained access to Lotus Pier. He will do well to keep his side of the bargain.”

* * *

It was small wonder, thought Wei Wuxian, that Lan Zhan was considered the second most accomplished Young Master by the cultivation world. The Second Jade looked ethereal even among the pink lotuses and emerald ponds of the Yunmeng Jiang, a deity on his earthly stroll. Jiang Yanli stood to his side, apparently engaged with him in lively conversation.

They would make a great couple, thought Wei Wuxian absently as he walked towards the two of them. Lan Zhan was first and foremost a gentleman. He would treat his shijie – _sister_, he mentally corrected - gently and with respect, and would never ever bully her like Jin Zixuan would. And his sister would make the most ideal Lan wife, ever. If he were to have a say in the matter, Shijie should definitely go for Lan Zhan, or Lan Xichen, instead of fucking Jin Zixuan.

Dispelling his idle thoughts, Wei Wuxian beamed at Jiang Yanli, who pinched him on a cheek in mock exasperation.

“You’re _late_, A-Xian.”

“Jiang Cheng was screwing around with my hair,” offered Wei Wuxian in defence, and got an elbow in his ribs for his efforts. “Sorry, Lan Zhan.”

“It is no problem. Wei Ying…” Suddenly Lan Zhan’s clear eyes were on him, his gaze inscrutable, “You look well.”

Wei Wuxian was nonplussed. “Really?”

Lan Zhan nodded, solemn. With his loose hair swept back into a ponytail and his black rags exchanged for clean, flowing robes, Wei Wuxian looked less like the cursed phantom of the war, and more like the innocent, shining head disciple of Yunmeng Jiang. It was as though they’d somehow managed to turn back time and erase tragedies with a simple change of clothes.

Lan Zhan wished that was true. But he thought of the gaping hole in Wei Ying’s chest where his golden core should be, and could only feel a foreboding sense of urgency.

“Wei Ying, shall we?”

Wei Wuxian broke out into a boyish grin, grabbing his sleeve and steering him towards the altar. They knelt, incense in their hands, and smoothed out the front of their robes on the stone floor. When Lan Zhan didn’t make to speak, Wei Wuxian decided to take the lead.

“Although we have different surnames, I, Wei Ying Wei Wuxian of Yunmeng Jiang, now bind myself to Lan Zhan Lan Wangji of Gusu Lan as my sworn brother. I swear to protect my brother in danger, and aid my brother in times of strife. I swear to protect the weak and innocent, and uphold justice and kindness as long as I live.”

He stuttered, clearly trying to decide if he’d missed something, and continued with renewed rigour. “We do not pray to be born on the same year, month and day, but pray that death befalls us on the same year, month and day. May the heavens and the spirits of my ancestors bear witness to my oath!”

Wei Wuxian turned to Lan Zhan once he was done, ash-coloured eyes seeking approval. The Second Jade nodded at him and turned determined eyes to the altar, long lashes trembling slightly in the morning wind.

“I, Lan Zhan Lan Wangji of Gusu Lan, hereby take this oath with Wei Ying Wei Wuxian of Yunmeng Jiang. I swear to protect Wei Ying from peril with my life, and be at his side in times of joy and strife. I swear to bring honour to the teachings of the Lan, protect the common people, and uphold righteousness and kindness as long as I live.”

Lan Zhan’s voice – so unlike Wei Wuxian’s lively tenor - flowed like a steady stream across the dais, quiet and assertive.

“We do not pray to be born on the same year, month and day, but pray that death befalls us on the same year, month and day. May the heavens and the spirits of my ancestors bear witness to my oath.”

His new brother turned to him, golden and beautiful in the morning sun, and Lan Zhan was struck suddenly speechless by his glamour.

“Take care of me, Er-ge!”

“...I will.”

When the incense had been burnt, the tea spilled to the earth and the rituals had been completed, Jiang Cheng stepped forward to offer his reluctant blessings.

“I can’t believe you _didn’t _try to agree on the wordings of the oath beforehand,” Jiang Cheng commented with a long-suffering sigh, violet eyes fixed on Lan Zhan as though this was solely his fault. He’d, after all, lived with Wei Ying for far too long to expect him to observe proper decorum.

It did not, however, sound like something the illustrious Hanguang-jun was likely to miss.

Lan Zhan paused.

“It is the heart that matters,” he affirmed, unfazed, and Jiang Cheng could only give him a frankly incredulous look in return.

* * *

“Er-ge, I have something else to give you,” Wei Ying told him later that day, at the inn he’d chosen, lounging on the wooden bench at Lan Zhan’s side after ordering what was practically a feast for ten. He was obviously a regular at the inn; the waiter took his orders with fond indulgence, promising them lotus wine on the house to Wei Ying’s delight.

He dug around his sleeves, finally presenting his sworn brother with some kind of wooden contraption. It occurred to Lan Zhan that this was the same thing he’d seen on the boat yesterday.

“A…compass?” Lan Zhan regarded the device with interest, noting the quivering needles on the device, the intricate array etched on its base.

“A compass for scouting out resentful energy. It should come in handy, since you go on night hunts so much!” Wei Ying explained with unbridled excitement, hovering over the compass like a proud parent.

Lan Zhan’s eyes widened. “You said, at the Lake of Biling…”

“…that I wished there was _something_ we could use to pinpoint resentful energy. So I made that something.”

Wei Ying was truly an unparalleled genius of his time. The Second Jade studied the static needles – one black, one red and one blue, and raised his eyes to his sworn brother again.

“How does it work?”

“Say a creature shows up…” Wei Ying started, and resentful energy exploded from him like miasma. The array on the device shone in response, the black and red arrows snapping towards Wei Ying in an instant.

“The black needle stands for resentful energy in general. The red one stands for living creatures, and the blue one stands for lifeless creatures. The black one will point to the direction of the resentful energy when it is detected. The red one is now locked on to me because it senses that I’m alive.”

“Wei –_ A-Ying_,” Lan Zhan said pointedly, and Wei Ying stopped exuding resentful energy with a small shrug. The array dimmed, and the needles sprung back to their original position.

“This is what I _am_, Er-ge. Sooner or later you’ll have to accept that. Anyway.”

“The compass is a prototype, so lemme know if it needs improving and I’ll get right to it.” Wei Ying threw him a casual grin as he handed his brainchild over.

“Right now it can’t tell you exactly _what _it is detecting. I’ll have to work that out. Maybe one day we can give them out to the common people, so they’ll be alerted before evil creatures can ever get to their doorsteps.”

But of course. He’d had the common people in mind when he designed this contraption. How the cultivating world could see someone so kind and selfless as sinister, Lan Zhan would never know.

“Does it…have a name?”

“I dunno? Awesome Ghoul Catcher?”

Lan Zhan actually winced at this, thinking back on the way Wei Ying had named his poor sword.

“_Demon Wind Compass_,” he asserted, voice thick with finality, and his sworn brother chuckled in fond acquiescence.

“My brother is well-learnt and eloquent. Demon Wind Compass it is, then.”

“I…” Lan Zhan’s hand fluttered above his sleeve, where he’d brought with him miscellaneous gifts for Wei Ying’s delight, from the most potent of medicine to the rarest of spiritual items. He curled his fingers into a fist.

“I have nothing to give you, A-Ying.” He reached up hesitantly, slender fingers ghosting across his own face, and undid the ribbon on his forehead with a sharp tug. 

“I have nothing to give you,” Lan Zhan repeated, his voice only a quiet whisper as he placed the ivory coloured fabric in his sworn brother’s upturned palm, “except this.”

He didn’t say anything more, head lowered and eyes downturned, and Wei Ying could only gape at him in utter astonishment.

“The last time I tugged this thing off,” Wei Ying said in absolute wonder, “_you nearly killed me_.”

“Mn.”

“So…um. Are you sure I can touch this now?”

“Yes,” his sworn brother said, and added, “Only a close family member may touch it.”

Wei Wuxian folded the ribbon with uncharacteristic care, fingers trembling slightly at the weight behind this mere piece of cloth.

“And I can keep it, yes?”

“…yes. It is yours, now.”

There were a thousand words reflected on Lan Zhan’s countenance, something hopeful and bitter and tender and sad all at once, and Wei Ying swallowed, his throat going dry at the display of raw emotions on his sworn brother’s face.

“Er-ge, you don’t have to. Even if we’re family, if it means so much to you…”

“Keep it,” Lan Zhan insisted almost childishly, words failing him as he struggled to articulate the feelings that had consumed his heart all these years, “…I want you to have it.”

“Okay, then.”

It must have been a trick of the light, but as he tucked the folded ribbon into his robes, right beside his heart, Wei Wuxian swore he could discern just the slightest of bittersweet smiles at the edge of his sworn brother's lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gods, these chapters just keep getting longer and longer. About the name of the woman in red: Xiao-Hung (小紅) = Little Red. 
> 
> Finally, the oath of absolute doom! LZ shamelessly conducts his own marriage procession during the oath, and no one even suspects anything.
> 
> Next up: Contrary to popular belief, taking the oath of brotherhood does not prevent shit from blowing up in your face.


	6. Protect the State Above

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LZ: I'm fully content to be your brother. I only wish for your safety and happiness.
> 
> WWX: But someone just sent me a marriage proposal.
> 
> LZ: *surprised Pikachu face*

Lan Wangji turned out to be an overindulgent elder brother. In the days following the oath, Wei Wuxian whiled his time away with Lan Zhan in downtown Yunmeng, wining, dining and sightseeing. He returned to Lotus Pier everyday with some childish trivia to show – from candied hawthorns to butterflies woven out of straws, all bought generously with Lan Zhan’s money. Jiang Cheng was utterly unsurprised at his brother’s shamelessness, but Lan Wangji’s indulgence to Wei Wuxian’s whims was difficult to fathom.

_What happened to the three thousand sect rules of the most disciplined Lan Sect,_ Jiang Cheng thought, annoyed whenever he spotted the two stepping over the threshold of Lotus Pier, his brother tinkering with the day’s new toy like a child.

At least it didn’t seem that they’d gone and done anything particularly dangerous without warning him beforehand. Jiang Cheng hadn’t been able to feel anything from _Chiyan_ – Crimson Flame - the hair ornament he’d gifted Wei Ying since the day of the oath, and for once he was able to go about his duties without worries.

But then, Wei Wuxian would sidle over to his side like a sly kitten upon his return to the Pier every day, paws batting at his shoulder, offering to help with the paperwork or sect errands for the day. Jiang Cheng, pleasantly surprised with the abrupt show of responsible behaviour, couldn’t find it in himself to be overly surly with his brother. Maybe he’d finally learned something useful from Lan Wangji. At least Wei Wuxian had decided to make himself useful, which was, if anything, a big step forward.

Jiang Cheng did not, and would not, regret allowing Lan Zhan into Lotus Pier. But some part of his mind was hesitant to trust the man’s intentions, and his suspicion was confirmed when he saw Wei Wuxian sitting on the porch of his rooms one evening, fixated on the stick of candied hawthorn he was devouring.

Lan Zhan – quiet and tranquil as ever – set up his _guqin_ beside his sworn brother, and had proceeded to play the Song of Clarity as though this should be an everyday ritual.

_And this is what it is all about, at the end of the day_, Jiang Cheng silently sneered as he went about his business._ The Great Hanguang-jun, bringing salvation wherever he goes._

Hanguang-jun, the epitome of principles and discipline, was an overindulgent elder brother. The cultivation world ate this piece of rumour up with open fondness. After all the bloodshed and misery during the Sunshot Campaign, they _needed _a heart-warming story; needed to believe that there is a soft side to the rigid Second Jade, a filial tameness to the grandmaster of demonic cultivation.

The battered heroes of the war, finally finding peace. It was probably something the cultivation world desperately hoped to be true.

* * *

As the Conference loomed closer, nagging worry began to eat at Jiang Cheng. He had no illusions what this Conference was going to be about: the allotment of the spoils of war; the redefining of the power landscape among the sects. With the Wens gone, and the Jins retaining most of its power, Jin Guangshan probably fancied himself the _de facto _leader of all the other sects, the king of the cultivation world.

And Yunmeng Jiang was only standing because of the joint efforts of Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian. Mostly Wei Wuxian, because he was an entire army unto himself and no one, not even Jin Guangshan, wanted their sect overrun by corpses if they unwittingly happened to cross the Jiangs.

Still, demonic cultivation had its limits, and using it carelessly during peacetime could draw the abhorrence and fear of the other sects. Jiang Cheng knew this only too well, and also knew this was the reason Wei Wuxian limited himself to talismans and minor spells when there were no Wens to kill.

The Conference was not, however, the end of his troubles.

The Master of Jiang fingered the proposal in his grasp, the finely textured paper a flaunting declaration of the Jins’ wealth. The Jins had even sent Jin Guangyao to their doorsteps personally. The team of envoys sent by the Jins had toured around Lotus Pier, purchasing gifts and making sure that the entire Lotus Pier knew about this marriage proposal.

It would please Lanling Jin, explained Jin Guangyao, ever pleasant and respectful when he finally appeared before Jiang Cheng, for Wei Wuxian to marry into Lanling Jin.

Jiang Cheng was not pleased. His brother, it seemed, was fast becoming the most coveted man in the entire cultivation world.

This was not the first marriage proposal he’d heard for Wei Wuxian since the end of the war, though this was the first formal offer that had reached him. Once the dust had settled, lesser sects had discreetly asked for the favour of the demonic cultivator on behalf of their respective daughters, no doubt tempted into taking a chance in light of the Jiangs’ decline in power.

Jiang Cheng had briskly turned them down before Wei Wuxian could even get wind of this bullshit. Wei Wuxian was barely adult. Cultivators typically live a long life, and Wei Wuxian had a whole future ahead of him. He was not going to marry Wei Wuxian off in a hurry as though he was an old maiden. 

Jin Guangshan, the old fox, had not even offered someone in his direct line; just a daughter of some subordinate that he’d conveniently adopted as his daughter a while back. Jiang Cheng hadn’t even seen the girl in person before. Granted, old man Jin didn’t _have _any daughters (or none that he would recognise, the hideous womaniser), but pointing at some girl from his sect and just flinging her at Wei Wuxian was insulting to say the least.

Qin Su, he was told, was the girl’s name. Well, she was_ Jin Su_ now. Good for her.

The girl had a shy disposition, Jin Guangyao had continued with a sincerity that was almost convincing, and her parents – both biological and adopted – were loath to part with her. It would comfort the Jins greatly if Wei Wuxian could stay with the Jins for a while until Miss Jin was comfortable enough to move permanently to Lotus Pier. Once the Young Mistress of Jiang was married to Jin Zixuan, Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian could even keep each other company at Carp Tower.

This was all fine and well, but Jiang Cheng didn't adopt Wei Wuxian into the Jiang family just so he could marry him off to the Jins, and didn’t believe for a second that the Lanling Jin ever planned on returning his brother if they could help it.

In an admirable show of restraint, Jiang Cheng had reined in his temper and sent Jin Guangyao back to the Jins with a promise to consider the proposal.

The answer, of course, was a resounding _no_ \- but how to convey this to the old schemer was a delicate matter entirely. They could not overly upset the Jins, after all, when Yunmeng Jiang was still reeling from the aftereffects of the Campaign, and Jiang Yanli’s betrothal with Jin Zixuan was still on the line.

Jiang Cheng sighed.

“Sect Leader,” his pupil on duty tried cautiously, no doubt sensing a storm in his pensive silence, “Second Young Master Lan is here to see you.”

Here was another man who had vested interest in Wei Wuxian and his demonic cultivation. His brother, really, was too much trouble to keep. At least he could be reasonably sure that Lan Zhan was not going to hit him with _another_ marriage proposal for Wei Wuxian.

“Invite Hanguang-jun in.”

* * *

Lan Zhan, as always, was the very picture of calm and decorum. He turned chiselled features at Jiang Cheng as he came in, his bow perfect and unhurried.

This was the other brother of Wei Wuxian’s choice, and Jiang Cheng still felt a pang of annoyance whenever he saw him. The least he could do for Wei Wuxian, however, was to be civil.

“Hanguang-jun, I heard that you asked for me.”

“Sect Leader Jiang,” Lan Zhan nodded, “I have come to discuss about the Conference.”

He was straight to the point, at least, and having heard the pointless blathering of one too many Sect Leaders, the Master of Jiang could respect this much.

“What about the Conference?”

“The Stygian Tiger Seal. Sect Leader Jin desires it,” Lan Zhan said, as if he was stating a fact, and a mirthless smirk tugged at Jiang Cheng’s lips.

“He certainly does,” he lazily waved at the marriage proposal sitting on his table, “wants it enough to propose that Wei Wuxian be married to his fictional daughter. One of his men’s child, it seems.”

Something flickered briefly in Lan Zhan’s amber eyes as he stared down at the document, momentarily distracted, but the Second Jade otherwise remained unmoved.

“What does Wei Ying think of this?” he inquired despite himself, and Jiang Cheng shot him a slightly sarcastic look, pleased to have caught the immovable Second Jade off guard.

“Trust me, he will think it hilarious. I am tempted to agree. Perhaps Hanguang-jun would have a better candidate, as Wei Wuxian’s sworn brother.”

Lan Zhan shook his head, once again sedate. Jiang Cheng felt a pang of annoyance; he had never quite managed to rile up the man, and not for lack of trying.

“Wei Ying will choose as he pleases,” was his calm reply, “my concern is simply that Sect Leader Jin does not mean well by this proposal.”

Well, wasn’t that obvious. Lan Zhan didn’t mince his words, and Jiang Cheng would return the favour.

“Old man wants to be the next Head Cultivator,” he said, distasteful, “probably thinks owning Wei Wuxian – and the Stygian Tiger Seal - will help him be the second Wen Ruohan. As if he has half of Wen Ruohan’s spiritual prowess.

“If I don’t let him have Wei Wuxian, there is nothing he can do about that. His ‘daughter’ can just shove it.”

Lan Zhan seemed to consider the scenario for a moment, before a small frown pulled at the corners of his lips.

“Sect Leader Jin can be a very insistent man. He will probably try to force a handover of the Seal by persuading the other sects that the Stygian Tiger Seal is something to be feared. That Wei Ying is someone to be suspected and abhorred.”

“They can try,” snorted Jiang Cheng, but there was a tremor to his bravado that he hoped Lan Wangji would not notice. The Jiangs, burnt to the ground in the Campaign, had nothing against the power and riches of the Jins. If Jin Guangshan could pull in more families to his side, convince them to gang up against Yunmeng Jiang…

Lan Zhan paused, amber eyes roaming briefly over Jiang Cheng’s face.

“The Seal should be destroyed, sooner or later. Its power should be sealed for now.”

Jiang Cheng swirled to glare at him, incensed beyond belief. This was the exact kind of thing he’d expressly warned Lan Zhan _not_ to meddle with while he was at Lotus Pier. The Second Jade knew that he had no right to meddle in the internal affairs of the Yunmeng Jiang. Wasn’t this the exact reason why he and Wei Wuxian had fought so bitterly during the Campaign?

“Destroy it, and rob Wei Wuxian of his greatest weapon? You jest, Hanguang-jun.”

“Wei Ying is a master of cultivation even without the Seal,” countered Lan Zhan calmly, “The Seal heeds no master. It is too much temptation for the greedy.”

“Wei Wuxian has the protection of the Yunmeng Jiang. No one would dare,” snapped Jiang Cheng, but Lan Zhan’s expression was matter-of-fact.

“This is a risk Sect Leader Jin will take.”

“Hanguang-jun,” said Jiang Cheng in warning, “I have warned you. If you’re trying to get Wei Wuxian to forgo demonic cultivation _again_…”

“The Sects will be more willing to back the Jiangs up if they know Wei Ying means to destroy the Seal,” was Lan Zhan’s quiet reply, and Jiang Cheng glared, slender brows slanted dangerously.

The Sects, thought Jiang Cheng, mostly just meant the Lans and the Nies. The other sects were bastards for the most part and would _die _for a chance to lay their greedy paws on the Seal.

“You will have to take it to Wei Wuxian,” he relented, deflating after a while. “The Stygian Tiger Seal is his possession and his to deal with as he wants.”

As his brother Jiang Cheng had only ever been respectful towards Wei Wuxian and his will, and Lan Zhan inclined his head in silent gratitude.

“It’s high time he shows his ass on the training grounds though,” admitted Jiang Cheng, reluctant, “Hanguang-jun, kindly tell him I expect to see him training once we get back from Carp Tower. My father would have been furious if he knew that Suibian is gathering dust under that idiot’s bed.”

* * *

The silent trepidation in Jiang Cheng’s eyes when he mentioned _Suibian_ and _training_ ate at Lan Zhan’s thoughts, even as he made his way to Wei Ying’s quarters.

Jiang Cheng had known Wei Ying all his life. He must have suspected _something_, and Wei Ying was only hiding from the inevitable.

“Got something to say to me, Er-ge?” Wei Ying’s upside-down face startled him from his musings, and Lan Zhan looked up to see his sworn sibling hooked precariously on the edge of the roof. He raised his brows at him.

“You are not a bat, Wei Ying.”

“You can make a joke now, Er-ge! Must be my good influence,” Wei Ying exclaimed with mock surprise, landing before Lan Zhan with a fancy somersault. “…You have something serious to say to me.”

“Sect Leader Jin wants you married into Lanling Jin. I heard from Sect Leader Jiang.” Lan Zhan told him, and watched unamused as Wei Ying proceeded to roll onto the floor, wheezing with laughter.

“Yeah, I heard from…basically every living thing in Lotus Pier too. Poor girl, must be terrified to hear that her Sect hung her out to marry _me_ out of all the available cultivators in the four Sects.”

“A-Ying,” chided Lan Zhan with a sigh, “be serious.”

“Yeah yeah. It’s the Stygian Tiger Seal, right. Old Man Jin’s been wanting to marry the Seal for ages. I get that. Jiang Cheng says to shut the hell up, pretend to be all demure and proper, and he’ll deal with this. As if he doesn’t trust me to open my mouth in the Conference or something.”

“_A-Ying_,” Lan Zhan warned, lowering himself so that he was face to face with Wei Ying, “the Seal will need to be destroyed sooner or later.”

The idea of bringing this up with Wei Ying unsettled him. He had, after all, told Wei Ying the same thing again and again during the war, and eventually found himself on the wrong end of Chenqing.

Wei Ying rolled himself upright, sobering despite himself. “I figured this is what you wanted to talk to me about.”

There was no running from this. “…Yes.”

“Sure, let’s destroy it,” said Wei Ying, nonchalant, and took a moment to appreciate the slightly stunned look on Lan Zhan’s face.

“I’ve been thinking about the same thing, Er-ge. Destroying the Seal once and for all so that it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Destroying it so the sects won’t have an excuse to gang up against Jiang Cheng,” Wei Ying’s said, quiet steel in his voice.

This was something, it seemed, he had decided in the short window of time following his return to the Pier, “but as it is now…it’s complicated. The thing’s feisty. I haven’t found a way of ensuring that it doesn’t rebound on me. I need more time.”

“What do you need me to do?” Lan Zhan only asked of him, Wei Wuxian’s responding grin sending a flutter through his heartstrings. His sworn brother rummaged through ebony robes, tugging the collar of his robes wide open in the process, and offered Lan Zhan a finely embroidered pouch in an open palm.

Lan Zhan tilted his head in silent question and took the pouch, feeling the unmistakable burst of resentful energy from within. He’d recognise it anywhere; the fountain of dark power that followed Wei Ying like a shadow during the war. The power was muted, a soft hum under water, likely the result of some restraining spell put on it by Wei Wuxian.

“You keep an item like the Stygian Tiger Seal in a _maiden’s pouch_,” accused Lan Zhan, exasperated, as he absently tugged Wei Ying’s robes into some semblance of decency.

“I have spare pouches from the girls, and nothing to use them for!” retorted Wei Ying as he wriggled out of his sworn brother’s ministrations. The Second Jade frowned at the haphazard way his robes hung on his person, but didn’t reach forward to fix it further.

“Shameless,” he admonished instead, a soft tease than an insult, which sent Wei Wuxian into a fit of good-natured chuckles.

“Er-ge. I don’t need the Seal. I know lots of people are going after it, and I don’t want any accidents. Until I can destroy the Seal, do me a favour and hide it for me, yes?”

There was a kind of steely determination in his sworn brother’s gaze, and Lan Zhan mulled over the entire scenario, contemplative.

“Wouldn’t it be better to keep it under the joint custody of the four Sects? That way, no one can doubt your intentions, and no one could have a reason to go after you ever again.”

“I don’t care what the Sects think of my intentions – I cannot trust anyone else with the Seal,” Wei Ying interrupted, his voice a low growl. “Not even Chifeng-zun. Not even your brother. Not anyone. Er-ge, I’ve used it to decimate _thirty thousand Wens._ If anyone got it from me, he will be able to wipe out the entire cultivation world.”

“…….” Lan Zhan fingered the Seal through the pouch that held it, wordless against the trust in Wei Ying’s flint-coloured eyes.

“Just keep it for me for the time being, Er-ge. When the time is right, we will destroy it. In the meantime…”

“In the meantime, we keep Sect Leader Jin at bay.”

He turned soft eyes at his charge, and the two shared a fond look in mutual understanding.

“…A-Ying, you should decline the marriage proposal. It isn’t…it isn’t made in good conscience.” His voice was soft, and Wei Wuxian thought he could hear earnest imploration in Lan Zhan’s usual monotone.

“What, Er-ge, you thought I would actually take it? And call Jin Guangshan _father_, of all things? Ew!”

The Second Jade looked as though he might be tempted to agree with Wei Ying’s exclamation of distaste, but only tilted a perfect brow in what might have passed for mocking.

“Wei _Yuandao _may be interested.”

“Hey! Stop bringing that one up every time! And no girl is worth being stuck with the Jins,” Wei Ying faked an exaggerated shiver. “I’d rather stay in Lotus Pier with Er-ge, Jiang Cheng and Shijie forever.”

Lan Zhan seemed to consider this carefully, amber eyes iridescent in the fading sunlight.

“I will hold you to these words, A-Ying.”

“Uh,” offered Wei Ying, confused, “Sure?”

Lan Zhan only gave a soft shake of his head, the Stygian Tiger Seal safe in his custody, and bent to set the _Wangji qin_ in his lap.

* * *

Wei Wuxian had never worn so much purple in his life, not even when he’d been the Head Disciple of Yunmeng and his chief worry had been avoiding Madame Yu’s wrath. He’d always preferred black; had always dressed himself in the colours of ebony and flame on casual occasions, or whenever he could get away with it. 

Jiang Cheng had mandated that he be decked out in “_an outfit befitting the Head Elder of Yunmeng Jiang_” before he was allowed to even set one foot into Jin borders. This resulted in several servants, fearful of the Sect Leader’s wrath, ambushing him towards the end of the boat trip to Carp Tower and attacking him with miscellaneous clothes and ornaments, as though he was an invalid or something.

The appropriate dress, apparently, meant the most elaborate royal purple outfit Jiang Cheng could procure, Suibian and a jade pendant hanging on his belt, and Chiyan sitting proudly atop his head. Wei Wuxian, unwilling to part with his flute, had insisted that Chenqing be affixed to his belt as well.

The entire ensemble made him look like Jiang Cheng’s twin; they could now pass off as the Twin Jades of Yunmeng or something, which, Wei Wuxian suspected, was the whole point of this exercise.

Wei Wuxian had put up with the dressing up with surprising good grace, only breaking down into a pout when Jiang Yanli disembarked from the boat with the help of her maids, surveying him with clear amusement.

“Jiang Cheng keeps putting me in fancy clothes, it’s so uncomfortable! And Lan Zhan refuses to help! Help me, Shijie!”

The Second Master of Lan didn’t dignify that with an answer, a bow his only calm acknowledgment of Jiang Yanli’s arrival. Jiang Yanli laughed behind her sleeve, her voice a soothing stream to her brother’s ears.

“_The gentleman is never seen without a jade on his person without good reason_, A-Xian. You look fabulous. A-Cheng just wants you to look handsome for Miss Jin,” she joked, even as Wei Wuxian’s expression soured straightaway.

“I don’t want to even be at Carp Tower, much less being put up on a blind date,” lamented Wei Wuxian, voice low, “we have better things to do at home.”

Jiang Yanli tilted her head at him, dark eyes crinkling in gentle reassurance.

“Neither do I, A-Xian, but we all have our duties to see to. Perhaps you will grow to like Miss Jin?”

“Yeah,” conceded Wei Wuxian with a sigh, as he moved to take his place at Jiang Cheng’s right, “Or maybe I’ll find Old Man Jin entirely unbearable.”

* * *

“I must congratulate you on your oaths with both Sect Leader Jiang and Hanguang-jun,” said what must have been the twentieth nosy fucker in this damn Conference today, “You are very well regarded by both Yunmeng Jiang and Gusu Lan.”

If one more of these shitheads come along with _yet_ another implication that he was somehow the prize in a power struggle between the Lans and the Jiangs, he was going to beat somebody bloody. These men, it appeared, had way too little to do with their time after the war that they were willing to risk their neck to come and annoy him.

It was said that fine clothes make the man. Wei Wuxian supposed that this was, for most part, true.

People from other sects seemed to be approaching him with palpable relief, as though being pledged to Jiang Cheng or Lan Wangji made him less dangerous; as though he was somehow less capable of summoning an army of corpses when dressed in fineries.

Some came along with barbed compliments, others empty congratulations on what they perceived as his rise in status.

It was a shame that he had to let Lan Zhan go back to the sea of clouds and ivory white at the right end of the hall, he lamented absently as he turned down yet another glass of wine. The Second Jade would make this dreary affair so much more bearable.

“Young Master Wei,” a gentle voice beckoned, and Wei Wuxian visibly perked up, bounding over to the Twin Jades like an unleashed puppy.

“Elder Brother!” He exclaimed, and Lan Xichen had to smile at his pure enthusiasm. Having Wangji with him, Lan Xichen noted, seemed to have done Wei Wuxian a whole world of good.

“Let me see,” said Lan Xichen wryly as he glanced at Lan Zhan for confirmation, “…Wuxian?”

“Wuxian it is!” chirped Wei Wuxian, gesturing at Chenqing on his waist. A piece of intricately carved white jade hung proudly from its tip, held in place by a bright red tassel that matched and complimented _Chiyan_ in colour and texture. “Thanks for the gift, Elder Brother. It looks great on Chenqing.”

Lan Xichen chuckled, acknowledging the display of trust towards Lan Xichen – towards the Lan Sect that it was. It was one thing, after all, to accept an ornament; another entirely to bind it to one’s weapon of choice.

“I see that you’re in good spirits, Wuxian. I’m glad you liked the pendant, but there’s no need to thank me for that. It was actually A-Yao who helped me pick this.”

“Young Master Jin did?” Intrigued, Wei Wuxian scanned the room for Jin Guangyao. The youngest master of Jin was greeting guests at the front porch, and turned around at his gaze, a perfect smile on his lips.

Lan Xichen smiled. “I am afraid he’s much better at this than I am.”

Wei Wuxian nodded in greeting, which seemed to prompt Jin Guangyao into coming in his direction.

“Greetings, Er-ge, Hanguang-jun… Young Master Wei.”

Jin Guangyao, Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but think idly, would have been somewhere high on the Young Master’s List if he’d joined the Jins earlier. He had a gentle, handsome face that could easily have won over women old and young, and a mild, unassuming demeanour that calmed and reassured.

He was the same person who’d managed to gain the trust of, and kill Wen Ruohan when no one else could.

The youngest master of Jin turned his most winning smile to him. “Young Master Wei, I believe I haven’t introduced you to my sister, Jin Su.”

Before Wei Wuxian could say anything edgewise, he parted sideways to reveal a petite, unassuming maiden clad in the golds and peonies of the Jins. Jin Su was as pretty as she was nervous, her gaze flickering uncertainly even as she curtsied.

“A-Su has been eager to meet you,” Jin Guangyao continued smoothly, “she has heard so much about your valiant service in the Campaign.”

Wei Wuxian had to suppress a grimace at the false flattery. Who was he kidding? A-Su clearly looked as though she wanted to be somewhere else. It was poor taste to force a maiden into the presence of someone she had no wish to meet.

“Is that so,” he said, noncommittal, turning what he hoped was consoling eyes at the maiden. Jin Su seemed to take comfort at this, the line of her slender shoulders relaxing ever so slightly.

“The feast will commence soon,” Lan Zhan noted as Jin Guangshan ascended to the head table, a king to his throne. Wei Wuxian pounced on the opening to extract himself, stepping back with a departing bow.

Apparently he was not quick enough, because Jin Guangshan zeroed in on him from his higher perch, an – almost – fatherly smile immediately blossomed on his face.

“Ah, Young Master Wei, I see you have met my daughter A-Su,” his voice carried over the entire hall, no doubt for the benefit of all those present, “Perhaps A-Su could show you around our gardens. The peonies are in full bloom. It is not often that you young people have the chance to talk!”

He phrased the entire thing as though Wei Wuxian and Jin Su had been some kind of lovelorn childhood sweethearts dying for a reunion. It irked the hell out of him, because Wei Wuxian _had not even met the girl before_.

“Ah, Sect Leader Jin, I see that you have your sights set on Young Master Wei,” a female cultivator giggled from the audience, latching onto the new piece of gossip with avid interest.

“But of course,” Jin Guangshan replied genially, every part the doting father he never was, “who could resist a young man as accomplished and dashing as Young Master Wei? A-Su would never forgive me if I let him go quite so easily.”

More like Jin Guangshan would never forgive himself if he let the Stygian Tiger Seal go so easily. Wei Wuxian could already see Jiang Cheng gritting his teeth, even from this distance. He hoped his brother did not get a sore jaw by the end of this day.

“The feast will commence soon, Sect Leader Jin. Perhaps these matters could wait until the end of the Conference.”

“Sect Leader Jiang, we have three days to go through this Conference. I daresay this would take higher priority than a regular feast any time. After all, we only get married once!”

A chorus of good-natured chuckles ensued, and Jin Su sank into a hesitant curtsy, never quite meeting Wei Wuxian’s eyes. Wei Wuxian would have mistaken her reluctance for shyness if not for the way the edge of her lips tilted downwards, unhappy.

“Young Master Wei, if I may have the pleasure of your company, then?”

It was clear as day that the idea of inviting him for a walk did not give her pleasure. Wei Wuxian seethed in silence, because what father would subject their daughter to this kind of embarrassment before the whole cultivation world, just for his own greed and power?

But it would not do to shame a desperate maiden in front of so many onlookers, and openly insult the Jins by publicly turning their young mistress down, no matter how much he wanted to. Wei Wuxian took a breath, and summoned the most polite smile to his lips. At the edge of his vision, Jiang Cheng jerked his head forward in a grudging nod that said _get it over with, and return soon_.

“Certainly. If Miss Jin would lead the way.”

* * *

Lanling Jin’s idea of a garden, Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but note, involved piling exotic vegetation upon exotic vegetation with the sole intention to flaunt the Sect's wealth. It was a very _Jin_ thing to do; and it grated on Wei Wuxian’s sense of art and beauty even as the expensive flowers swayed enticingly in the breeze.

Wei Wuxian imagined living here on a daily basis. He wasn’t sure if he could refrain from plucking all these hideous things out, just as he wasn’t sure if he could refrain from punching Jin Guangshan and Jin Zixuan in the face within a week.

They passed through entire pastures of the Jin’s signature peonies in pensive silence, Jin Su with her eyes on the ground, Wei Wuxian with his hands folded behind his back.

Absently, Wei Wuxian wondered how Jiang Cheng was holding up in the main hall; if anyone had taken advantage of his absence to give the Jiangs trouble. Unwilling as he was to go back to the Conference and its pretentious proceedings, he couldn’t leave Jiang Cheng in the open; perhaps it was best that they put end to this quickly, both for his and Miss Jin’s benefit.

“Miss Jin,” he interjected, taking pity on the young girl after they’d walked past the same pavilion the second time and had _still_ not made any conversation, “I’m sorry that you’ve been put up to this. Would it be…fine for you if we go back now?”

Jin Su started, her closed-off expression crumpling instantly as she bowed to him, regretful.

“I apologize, Young Master Wei. I’m afraid that I have not been a good host. I did not want to force you on this…walk. Or a marriage.”

She was candid where her adopted father and sibling were not, and Wei Wuxian smiled at her in genuine appreciation, his guard starting to thaw. Jin Su smiled back, her relief at not having to continue this charade easily notable.

“That’s fine, I figured as much,” Wei Wuxian said wryly as he threw both hands behind his head, “I have to say that I have trouble believing that any maiden in her right mind would be charmed by my _‘valiant service in the Campaign’_. They usually run when they hear the stories.”

Jin Su gave a vehement shake of her head, eyes bold. This was, Wei Wuxian realised, the real Jin Su; not the sweet and demure flower Jin Guangshan no doubted wanted her to hold out as. “I am sure Young Master Wei did what he had to do for his sect to survive. Just like what everyone did. As father said, you do not win a war by fighting pretty.”

It took a moment for Wei Wuxian to realise that she was referring to her biological father, not Jin Guangshan. He wondered, for a moment, what kind of a person Sect Leader Qin was, how he would have felt about giving his own daughter to the Jins as a political chip.

“And yet you are still so eager to get rid of me,” Wei Wuxian joked, because he’d spent half his life teasing flustered maidens and couldn’t control his mouth, “I’m rather hurt.”

Predictably, Jin Su stuttered and hastened to explain. “It’s not that, Young Master Wei. I… Young Master Wei is no doubt magnificent, but it’s…I have a person on my mind. Someone who saved my life once in the Campaign.”

“And who would that lucky person be?” he teased brightly, interest piqued, when a story he’d heard during the war hit him.

He hadn’t paid too much attention to the rumours that had circulated around the camps during the war, being far too busy and exhausted to gossip like the rest of the men. But this he did know: somewhere towards the end of the war, one Meng Yao, working under the great Chifeng-zun, had saved the eldest young mistress of Leling Qin from capture by the Wens. This was one of the feats, other than his assassination of Wen Ruohan, that had led to his eventual rise to fame.

Meng Yao, who had now been adopted and renamed Jin Guangyao.

Wei Wuxian’s wide-eyed realisation must have been telling, because Jin Su bit her lips in palpable fear, her expression unreadable as she caught onto her own slip of tongue.

“Say no more, Young Master Wei. I know.”

Wei Wuxian grappled for the appropriate words in the silence that followed.

“But you’re not blood siblings –“

“He is my brother now, by blood or not,” she looked as though she was ready to cry, “I know this.”

“But if you have affections for Young Master Jin, then why the adoption into Lanling Jin?” It was probably not his place to ask, but he had always been bad at averting his eyes in the face of someone else’s pain.

“Father does not approve. He…he doesn’t have a respectable status…and Lanling Jin needs a daughter. Father has always been very loyal.”

Wei Wuxian rather thought that Jin Guangshan did not deserve this loyalty, but held his tongue.

“Could you not have told Young Master Jin? If he shares the same sentiments, then perhaps –“

“They’ve never cared what Young Master Jin wants or needs. It would not have worked. He knows that. He knows we do not stand a chance…I don’t want to bring him trouble.”

“That’s…” that’s bullshit; If Jin Guangyao had genuinely cared for her, be would have fought for her; tried to make it work regardless of the chances. But it wouldn’t do to disillusion Jin Su on this point, and all he could say was, “I’m sorry.”

“But even so, even knowing that he’s my brother, I…” she wiped at her eyes frantically, aghast, and turned an apologetic smile at Wei Wuxian. “Excuse me, Young Master Wei. I’m sorry you have to see this.”

“If there is anything I could help…”

Jin Su shook her head, somewhat amused. “You are nothing like the rumours made you out to be, Young Master Wei. But not so fast. Young Master Wei, you must watch your back. Once Sect Leader Jin knows that you’re not going to marry me, he’ll try everything to get at you.”

Wei Wuxian shrugged. “There’s so many people waiting to get at me, I don’t even know which way to look anymore. What are you going to do about…him, Miss Jin?”

“I only wish for his happiness.”

Even as they made their way back to the main hall, all Wei Wuxian could think about was the twisted, cursed love Jin Su had held so dear in her heart, and the utter heartbreak in the woman's eyes even as she spelled the doom of her longing.

* * *

“Wangji,” Lan Xichen said without looking back as his brother stood from his seat and made slowly for the door, “where are you going?”

“Wei Ying has been gone for too long,” was his younger brother’s reply.

“Wangji, you shouldn’t,” Lan Xichen’s voice was a quiet warning, the unspoken implication hanging in the air, and Lan Zhan suddenly felt the need to explain.

“This proposal was not made in good faith,” he retorted, voice low. “They cannot force Wei Ying into this.”

“The proposal is for an inter-sect alliance,” Lan Xichen turned to him now, eyes laden with the same old exasperation, “and it is for Young Master Wei to decide whether he wants to proceed. Wangji, you cannot make his decisions.”

“I am his brother.”

“_Wangji_,” Lan Xichen looked as though he was struggling for the right words, “you know what I’m talking about. You cannot keep doing this.”

Lan Zhan lowered his eyes, long lashes dark against the porcelain of his skin, and Lan Xichen had to rein in the frustration that came with watching his brother smash his head against a brick wall too many times. “You cannot try to hoard him, Wangji. Not while you are his brother. You have made your decision.”

And it was a wrong one.

Lan Zhan stood, a jerky, aborted motion, and made his way across the bustle of the main hall, away from his elder brother’s accusations and disappointment.

It wasn’t true that he was keeping Wei Ying to himself. If it was Wei Ying’s wish, he would help him find the perfect spouse – a lovely, feisty maiden with a golden heart. It was what Wei Ying deserved. It was his duty as his brother.

But the imagine of Wei Ying – married, content, taken away from him – rose to his mind unbidden, and Lan Zhan had to fight down the sudden panic that threatened to suffocate him. He had only ever wished for Wei Ying’s safety and happiness. But somewhere along the way, his heart had grown greedy, fed by Wei Ying’s affection and trust.

Somewhere along the way, it was no longer enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chiyan = 赤焰; literally "Crimson Flame", to match Jiang Cheng's "Purple Lightning".
> 
> "The gentleman is never seen without a jade on his person without good reason": a loose translation of 君子無故，玉不去身。（《禮記·玉藻》）
> 
> Next up: LZ watches - and panics - as his own affections spiral out of his control.


	7. And Defend the Common People Below

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I am here,” Lan Zhan said, and it was perhaps a vow more sacred than the one he’d taken, on the altar of Lotus Pier, “Always.”
> 
> “Always,” parroted Wei Wuxian in drunken contemplation, “Lan Zhan, you’re too good. I like you so much.”

By the third day, the Conference had deteriorated into a large-scale matchmaking event.

It was apparently not something in Jin Guangshan’s agenda, but was something that was bound to happen, one day or another. The Campaign had seen staggering death tolls all across the board, and younger members of the surviving sects were left with the mission to replenish and reproduce lest their sects fade out of existence, like the many illustrious sects and families annihilated by the Wens during the war.

Many took Jin Guangshan’s marriage proposal to the Jiangs on the first day as an indication that a free-for-all matchmaking session was in order. The Four Sects, and their young masters and mistresses, soon found themselves swarmed with potential suitors from the entire cultivation world in attendance.

Wei Wuxian was content to watch at the side lines as he poured Jin Su another cup of wine. No one had tried to bother Jiang Yanli, not daring to poach the Jins’ future daughter-in-law from under their eyelids (nevermind the supposed disintegration of the betrothal), but the uncontrollable spasm of Jiang Cheng’s brows as Sect Leader Li practically set his niece – heavily perfumed and made up - on the Jiang Master’s lap was absolutely hilarious.

“Hey, Jiang Cheng,” Wei Wuxian sidled up to Jiang Cheng’s side, snickering as Jiang Cheng reeled from the amount of powder and perfume staining his robes, “Miss Jin and I have been thinking.”

Jiang Cheng halted in his obsessive-compulsive brushing of his attire, eyes narrowed. “What _‘Miss Jin and I.’_”

“…about our marriage…”

“What _‘our marriage’_,” snapped Jiang Cheng, turning around fully in alarm. Heavens, his adopted brother was an idiot, but it couldn’t be that Jin Su was such a vixen that she had Wei Wuxian bewitched after _one walk_. Or maybe this was exactly why the Jins had sent her. Shit.

Empires had fallen for a maiden’s smile, and Wei Wuxian was only one man.

“You know what, Wei Wuxian, if you want to get married so badly, I think my cousin Yanling would be perfect for you. Great Uncle Yu has told me that she’s fantastic with a whip.”

“Young Miss Yu is _fourteen_, man, come on,” Wei Wuxian gave a full-body shudder. It was no secret that Yu Yanling, the youngest daughter of Sect Leader Yu, was as much a prodigy with a whip as she was an absolute terror with people.

News had it that Yu Yanling saw her aunt, the Purple Spider, as her role model in life. This didn’t come as any surprise to Wei Wuxian. Yu Yanling was also very underage, and Jiang Cheng wouldn’t try to match him with a vicious little girl, even on his most vindictive day.

The Head Elder of Jiang bumped his brother in the back where others couldn’t see. “Listen. We can go back to Yunmeng, find the most acclaimed fortune teller in town, and have him match Miss Su and my horoscopes. That matching is going to go so _horribly wrong_ that I’m going to fall off a cliff and die the moment we get married.”

Jiang Cheng surveyed Wei Wuxian with some wonder, because somewhere in his mind he’d expected Wei Wuxian to make a spectacle of himself and walk off Carp Tower in his defiant, _Wei Wuxian _way if someone had backed him into a corner. He had all along been fighting to nip the budding confrontation in the bud before it actually happened.

He was suddenly aware of how the teenage contours of his brother’s face had hardened and matured when he wasn’t looking. He was an adult now. They both were.

“She’s with you on this?” he nodded imperceptibly at Jin Su, who smiled a knowing smile at him.

“Got a sweetheart. Not interested in my good looks,” Wei Wuxian summarised.

“…That’s actually a brilliant idea,” Jiang Cheng muttered, because he couldn’t give two shits about Wei Wuxian’s good looks, “But how do you ensure you have wholly incompatible horoscopes with Miss Jin? The Jins are not idiots. They would want to cross-check with another fortune teller. And then we’ll be screwed.“

“We make up my horoscope, of course. I’ve never really known the hour of my birth anyway. I don’t remember if my parents ever told me, so that one’s easy.”

“You…” this whole gig seemed disrespectful to Wuxian’s parents, somehow, even if Wei Wuxian himself could care less. “Your parents wouldn’t have liked that.”

“My parents wouldn’t have liked it if I get sold off to Carp Tower,” shrugged Wei Wuxian, apparently anticipating his concern, but there was a set to his eyes that told Jiang Cheng he would not be persuaded.

“C’mon, Jiang Cheng. I’m positive they don’t care.”

“…Okay, then. If you put it like this. That’s one less thing to worry about,” Jiang Cheng conceded instead, then frowned, distracted, as he caught sight of some residue powder on the hem of his robes.

Wei Wuxian followed his gaze. When he spoke up, his tone was entirely innocent. “And while we’re at that…do you wanna match horoscopes with Young Mistress Li, too?”

“_Fuck off_.”

* * *

Wei Wuxian had to give it to Jin Guangshan: he had the patience to put up with the commotion for an entire morning before finally putting his foot down.

“Venerated cultivators, perhaps it is best that we return to the more urgent matters at hand,” Jin Guangshan waved at his servants to usher the guests back into position, and Wei Wuxian could finally discern the Twin Jades from behind a wall of would-be suitors. He winked at them, and was met with Lan Xichen’s smiling ease and Lan Wangji’s cool dispassion. The most desired bachelors of the cultivation world, the Lan brothers probably had to fend off ravished suitors on a daily basis, all the while having to stick to strictly gentlemanly, courteous behaviour. It was hard being the Twin Jades of Gusu.

“We have dealt with almost everything on the list,” wondered Sect Leader Yao, “ is there something else we’re missing, Sect Leader Jin?”

“Unfortunately, there is,” signed Jin Guangshan in affected tiredness, “Forgive me, Young Master Wei, but it’s about the Stygian Tiger Seal.”

So here it comes. Wei Wuxian could feel the roiling tension across the hall, his two brothers straightening, ready to defend him at a moment’s notice.

_Be careful_, mouthed Jin Su at the other side of the Hall, and Wei Wuxian braced himself for an onslaught of arguments.

“Yes, Sect Leader Jin? What about the Seal?” he inquired, careful to keep the scorn out of his voice.

“I understand that the Stygian Tiger Seal is a spiritual item that can be used by other persons than yourself, Young Master Wei.”

“Unfortunately, that would be the case, yes. How inconvenient,” said Wei Wuxian agreeably, “does that cause Sect Leader Jin concern?”

“It does,” sighed Jin Guangshan, “It worries me that my future son-in-law’s safety could be compromised because of the Seal. It is, after all, a much coveted weapon, and no doubt sinister characters are dying to lay their hands on it.”

“……” said Wei Wuxian, because old man Jin had just kicked his ass in the shamelessness department and he couldn’t think of a good enough comeback to this.

“If it comes as any comfort,” Jiang Cheng remarked flatly, breaking Wei Wuxian out of his amazed stupor, “Yunmeng Jiang is more than capable of keeping the Seal – and Wei Wuxian - safe.”

“Ah, of course,” Jin Guangshan’s half-quirked lips betrayed precisely what he thought of the Jiangs’ fighting capability, “but I tend to think that the Seal is the responsibility of the entire cultivation world. It has the ability to annihilate entire sects, as we are all aware.”

“Sect Leader Jin is right!” some unidentified lackey of the Jins called out, and an intense murmur spread across the hall, like wildfire. Even Nie Mingjue looked like he was seriously considering what Jin Guangshan was suggesting.

Across the room, Lan Zhan’s gaze was locked upon him, worry unmistakable in translucent eyes, and Wei Wuxian smiled back at him, reassuring.

_Don’t worry, Er-ge, I’ve got this. _

Jin Guangshan looked vaguely satisfied at the reactions evoked in his audience, and cleared his throat for attention. “That being the case, I propose…”

Wei Wuxian cut in, nodding in outright enthusiasm.

“…that the Seal be destroyed. Yes, I see your point, Sect Leader Jin. The Seal was created for the sole purpose of defeating the Wens. Now that its purpose is achieved, there is no need for such a powerful and volatile item. It should be dealt with as soon as possible, and safely.”

Jin Guangshan visibly choked. Beside him, Jiang Cheng smirked into his wine, triumphant.

There was a collective rustle of fabric as the guests shifted uncomfortably, unsure of what Wei Wuxian was trying to achieve. No cultivator in their right mind, after all, would propose to give up such a powerful artefact on their own accord. 

“That would work,” pondered Nie Mingjue slowly before Jin Guangshan could think of how to rectify the situation, “but with the enormous amount of resentful energy sealed within it, I could only think that the task would be immensely difficult. Is that so, Young Master Wei?”

“I suppose so, Chifeng-zun,” acknowledged Wei Wuxian with a sigh, “The Seal is but a container to the enormous amount of resentful energy within. The resentful energy is going to rebound on whomever’s in the vicinity the moment the Seal breaks – and it’s not going to be pretty.”

“Wuxian, is there any way to prevent the rebound?” Lan Xichen looked almost amused at Jin Guangshan being thwarted, and Wei Wuxian turned to him, noting the deliberate choice of words in addressing him. It was so hard not to take a liking to Lan Zhan’s brother; he was really too kind for this world.

“There is no way to destroy resentful energy of this intensity entirely, and it would be madness to try. I think that some kind of powerful dispersing array would work – yes – something that allows the energy to be laid out over a larger area so it isn’t as harmful as it otherwise would be…but it has to be somewhere where innocent people can’t get into, even by accident. And then cultivators would have to be sent to cleanse the area so it doesn’t become another Burial Mound…I don’t know, I still have to look into it.”

“…”

The hall was dead silent as Wei Wuxian mused, the attending cultivators entirely out of their depths where the Seal – and demonic cultivation – was concerned. No one, after all, knew the subject as well as Wei Wuxian did. No one, in fact, knew the technical details about demonic cultivation or the Seal at all.

“This means that you don’t have a solution as to how to destroy it yet, Young Master Wei?” Jin Guangshan managed.

“No, not yet, but I think I have some idea. I will need time to plan that out,” he raised guileless grey eyes at Jin Guangshan. “Does Sect Leader Jin have a plan?”

Everyone turned to look expectantly at Jin Guangshan, and the master of Jin coughed. He should have known that Wei Wuxian was a tricky little shit. The boy was baiting him, and Jin Guangshan knew it, but there was no way he could let this opportunity slip.

“Perhaps it would be safer to keep the Seal under the joint custody of the sects until it can be destroyed,” he tried, casting his eyes over the rest of the cultivators expectantly for support, “what does the assembly think of this?”

“Of course Young Master Wei should hand the Seal over,” Sect Leader Yao piped up, because Wei Wuxian must have wronged him beyond all forgiveness in his last life or something, “how else can we keep the Seal safe?”

“How do we ‘_keep the Seal safe_’, Sect Leader Yao? Lock it in a box and post guards around it?” Jiang Cheng was in his passive-aggressive mood today, lean fingers stroking the rim of his cup as he smiled a sharp smile at his fellow Sect Leader.

Sect Leader Yao bristled. “Is there a problem with that?”

“Who can you send to guard something like the Seal? Surely our top cultivators don’t have the capacity to guard it day and night.” The best cultivators of the sects were their leaders and heirs, respectively, after all, and must have better things to do than stand guard around a cursed artefact all day long. Unless they wanted it in the first place, of course.

“Surely Lanling Jin can send enough people…” the slight tilt to Jiang Cheng’s thin lips brought Sect Leader Yao up short, but the damage was already done, “…_the sects_ can send enough people to ensure the Seal is adequately guarded.“

“Ah,” said Jiang Cheng, as if that was self-explanatory. Jin Guangshan grimaced; he needed new, _brighter_ allies, preferably someone on par with Wei Wuxian.

“Young Master Wei would probably need access to the Seal before he could come up with a way to destroy it, though,” Lan Xichen interjected, the reliable calm in a brewing storm, smiling at Sect Leader Yao until the man eventually stopped fuming.

“That’s true,” said Wei Wuxian.

“Do you need protection from the sects to keep the Seal safe, in the meantime? Of course – and you already know this - Wangji is more than happy to give you any help you need,” Lan Xichen turned twinkling eyes at Lan Zhan, who inclined his head in affirmation.

“He is well versed in cleansing rituals and can help you with research on the Seal’s destruction. Gusu Lan cannot offer anyone better.”

“I will help,” said Lan Zhan simply, and it was official: Gusu Lan would be standing behind Wei Wuxian in this matter. Pawning Wei Wuxian to the Lans did have its merits, thought Jiang Cheng, savagely pleased, and bowed at Lan Xichen in acknowledgement.

“We would be most grateful, Zewu-jun.”

“Of course Hanguang-jun, as Young Master Wei’s _brother_, would be quite comfortable with the status quo. The rest of us aren’t so sure about Young Master Wei’s…promise. For all we know, he could continue to sit on the Seal and say that he hasn’t found any way to destroy it, and none of us would be any wiser.”

This time, it was some no-name sect leader from further down the Hall. He was, Jiang Cheng supposed, the foot soldier in Jin Guangshan’s employ; someone crass and unimportant enough to say all the ugly words on Jin Guangshan’s behalf without the man having to own up to them. What a fucking insect.

“Now, now, Sect Leader Wang, of course Young Master Wei wants to destroy the Seal as much as the rest of us do,” Jin Guangshan said, mollifying but not, and Wei Wuxian hoped he choked on the wine in his cup.

“I hope Sect Leader - _Wang_, is it - is not in any way implying that Yunmeng Jiang lacks credibility,” Jiang Cheng retaliated, his words lashing out with the force and agility of Zidian across the Hall, but the middle-aged man only leered, his slimy expression unchanging.

“We have all seen what calamity the Seal can bring about, the sheer number of corpses it could awaken. It should never have been created in the first place!”

“I hate to say this out loud, but _many of us in this Hall would be a corpse right now if not for the Seal’s power,_” Jiang Cheng growled, his grip tightening on the cup as though he might shatter it the next instant, “Would you have liked that instead?”

Sect Leader Wang slinked back into the crowds, not wanting to face Jiang Cheng head on, but the damage had already been done. Whatever Wei Wuxian had done for these people in the name of protection, the fact that he was different and dangerous – the fact that he reanimated the dead, and thrived on resentful power - would never be lost on them.

Jiang Yanli was looking increasingly worried, lips pinching in stress as she looked on from Jiang Cheng’s side. Reluctantly, Wei Wuxian joined the fray, if only for his shijie’s peace of mind.

“I plan to destroy the Seal within the end of this year, before all the sects,” he declared, his voice carrying over the soft buzz of discussion that had taken over the conference, “Unless anyone really, really wants to have the Seal before that, I would suggest that I keep it safe in the meantime.”

There was a slightly stricken look to Jin Guangshan’s eyes, and Wei Wuxian revelled in it.

“Wei Wuxian,” Jiang Cheng muttered, slender brows drawing together, “Will you make it?”

“Probably.” It would mean a research frenzy for him for months to come, but it could be done…he guessed.

“It is settled, then,” Nie Mingjue gave an absent wave, already looking like he found the exchange tiring. “Young Master Wei, if you need anything from Qinghe Nie in the meantime, just ask.”

Lan Xichen, throwing a meaningful look at his relieved sibling, moved to gently prompt the discussion on to other matters.

* * *

“Piece of cake, eh?” Wei Ying beamed at Lan Zhan after the crowds had dispersed, the leaders of the Four Sects retiring into the inner chambers for further discussion.

“Un,” said Lan Zhan in approval as he came over to personally escort Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli out of the Hall of Blooms, as though he was worried that someone else would come tear into them when he was not looking. “Our part here is done.”

He didn’t say anything about the short timeframe in which Wei Wuxian was supposed to come up with a solution to destroy the Seal. Wei Wuxian took this as a vote of confidence to his ability.

“Well done, A-Xian,” said Jiang Yanli, “Shijie is proud of you.”

Wei Wuxian brightened.

“Great! Shijie, Er-ge, since we’re all done here, what about we go downtown for some sightseeing?”

“I can’t, A-Xian. Madame Jin wants to see me after the Conference. I’m going to attend a family dinner with the Jins,” Jiang Yanli tilted her head to look up at him, expression half resigned and half fond, “I haven’t seen Madame Jin for so long.”

Madame Jin was one of Madame Yu’s closest friends; had been as equally devastated by her death as the Jiang siblings were, and Jiang Yanli had always had a soft spot for her.

But it was equally clear that Madame Jin had other things in mind when she invited Jiang Yanli over.

“What do they want now?” Wei Wuxian whined, lips pressed together in displeasure, “It isn’t like that peacock has a chance with you, Shijie!”

His shijie sighed, smoothing a slender hand down his shoulder thoughtfully. “Have fun, A-Xian. Don’t stay out too late.”

With that she was gone, a figure of soft purple against the glaring gold of Carp Tower.

“I don’t see what Shijie sees in Jin Zixuan,” he said darkly when Jiang Yanli disappeared from sight, “He’s a jerk. He doesn’t deserve her.”

“The heart heeds no reason,” was Lan Zhan’s introspective reply, and Wei Wuxian looked at him in slight surprise.

“The Great Hanguang-jun is a romantic. Who would have thought!” he exclaimed, eyes glinting with lively amusement as he grabbed Lan Zhan by the sleeve.

“Come on, Er-ge. It’s just you and me now. Let’s go do some sightseeing.”

Lan Zhan didn’t follow. Wei Wuxian had become so accustomed to Lan Zhan following him all around Lotus Pier that it actually took him unawares. “Lanling Jin has given me access to their library. I will be researching this afternoon.”

He didn’t elaborate on what he would be researching on. He didn’t have to. Until he was satisfied with the utter futility of the endeavour, Wei Wuxian’s brother would continue his search for a way to reconstruct Wei Wuxian’s golden core.

Wei Wuxian sighed. Who was he, though, to deny his brother hope?

“Sure. I’ll just be there sightseeing by my lonesome.”

“Not alone.” returned Lan Zhan sharply, “Bring guards.”

_Fat chance of that_, thought Wei Wuxian cheerfully, but he’d long since learnt to deal with Lan Zhan and his stuffy caution since he’d made him his brother. “Sure!”

Lan Zhan narrowed his eyes at him, slightly unconvinced, but let him go as he watched Wei Wuxian skip down the stairs.

It turned out that he shouldn’t have left Wei Ying to his own devices, even for one afternoon.

* * *

The next time he saw Wei Ying, the Jiang cultivator was sprawled across the roof of his lodgings, downing wine by the jar.

Lan Xichen had sent a messenger to the library earlier, relaying his brother’s words that something had happened, and he should go see Wei Ying as soon as possible. He’d made his way to Wei Ying’s quarters in an instant, only to find the premises on lockdown, a pair of Jiang disciples blocking the door.

The Head Elder was being detained upon the Sect Leader’s orders, explained the pair of harried disciples - a boy and a girl - as Lan Zhan stared them down in steely accusation, hand brushing across the hilt of Bichen, and they were only there to make sure that Wei Wuxian stayed put until Jiang Cheng returned.

The poor pair looked like Jiang Cheng had somehow tasked them to bring him the head of the Xuanwu of Slaughter, and Lan Zhan could sympathize. If Wei Wuxian didn’t want to stay put, the entire Jiang Sect combined wouldn’t have stood a snowball’s chance in hell against him.

“Hey there,” The figure on the roof hailed as Lan Zhan approached, craning sideways to look at the words engraved on the jar in his grasp, “If I give you a jar of my Golden Peonies –_ what a shitty name, by the way _– could you pretend you never saw me?”

Backlit against the full moon, Wei Ying cut an enthralling figure in the night. The déjà vu of that image was so strong it knocked Lan Zhan breathless.

Years ago, Wei Ying had barrelled into his life just like that; stolen his heart and played keep away with it in the years that followed. He’d never known what to do with this man since the day he saw him. And, because he was silly and weak and did not know how to give voice to his heart, he would probably never know what to do with him until the end of his days.

“A-Ying, I was only gone for _two sichen_,” he said in blank dismay, and Wei Ying sat up in a lazy slouch, gracing him with a lopsided grin.

“Trouble…finds me everywhere I go, Er-ge. It can’t be helped.”

He looked as though he was about to fall over where he sat, and Lan Zhan frowned at the empty jars that surrounded Wei Wuxian, like a halo made of ceramic.

“You’re drunk.”

“Am not,” protested Wei Ying, even as he swayed some more, “Come drink with me, Er-ge.”

Lan Zhan only hesitated for a split second before leaping up the roof, steps light and measured against brick tiles.

“Why are you drunk?” he tried to pry the jar from Wei Ying’s fingers. Even intoxicated, Wei Ying danced deftly out of his reach with a soft chuckle.

At some point after his return, his sworn brother had changed out of the elaborate costume he had donned for the Conference into his signature ebony and red. His hair was half down, strands of long hair falling out of Chiyan’s embrace and curling across his shoulders, as though Wei Wuxian had made a half-hearted effort to tug Chiyan off his hair but had then thought better of it.

“I’m gonna get myself really smashed so Shijie and Jiang Cheng can’t talk to me when they come back.”

Lan Zhan couldn’t even begin to comment on how juvenile that course of action was.

“What happened?”

“They’ve been executing the Wen prisoners. They’re going to kill Wen Ning and his clan. I can’t let that happen.” breathed Wei Ying, and then, “Jiang Cheng knew. What do I even do?”

None of this made any sense to Lan Zhan, who considered this for a moment before laying a steadying hand against Wei Ying’s arm.

“Breathe, A-Ying,” he instructed, “Tell me everything.”

Wei Ying, trembling, did.

* * *

Wei Wuxian could barely recognise Wen Qing at first glance. The physicist, once proud and haughty, had lost substantial weight; her bony hands clutched at his lapels the moment she saw him, eyes wide and pleading.

Wei Wuxian had never thought he would see her again. He’d certainly never imagined seeing her here, of all places, too engrossed with the war and its aftermaths to keep track of where she and her clan had gone.

“_Wei Wuxian_,” she’d gasped, iron grip unyielding on his robes, “oh, thank god you’re here, _please_, Wei Wuxian, you’ve got to help me, you’ve got to help A-Ning.”

She was a sorry sight, looking like she was about to fall over from starvation, but there were eyes and ears all over Carp Tower and this really wasn’t the place to talk.

“Come over,” he said, tugging her into a back alley with a twist of his wrist, “let’s get you some food first. You need to eat, then we can talk.”

As she wolfed down the bread he bought her, Wen Qing related to him a gruesome story of prosecution and revenge. Somewhere along the way, the sects had come to an unspoken consensus, whether out of caution or spite, that all the Wens would have to die – as the saying went, _you have to remove weeds at the roots_. The only issue that remained was_ how_.

For Wen Qing’s clan – whom the sects could find no excuse to outright execute because they weren’t fighters and had never been involved in the war – Lanling Jin had taken over the task of eliminating them by using them as live baits in night hunts, and sending them on gruelling, dangerous tasks with little prospects of survival.

If this went on, her clan would be dead within the month. With that realisation in mind, Wen Qing had escaped the camp they were locked in, with the vaguest idea that she ought to find help. The only problem with that plan, of course, was that any cultivator in their right mind would have sooner killed them on sight than offer any kind of assistance.

There was one person, though, who she could perhaps count on; someone who owed her a great enough debt to consider doing something.

Wei Wuxian would be in Jinling for the Conference. She would just need to find him.

In the heat of the war, consumed by his raging hatred for the Wens, Wei Wuxian would have laughed at their demise; thought it inadequate payback to all the atrocious deeds the Wens had done to the cultivation world.

But Wen Qing was right in her assessment: Wei Wuxian owed Wen Qing and Wen Ning the life and future of his brother; owed them the final possessions of Uncle Jiang and Madame Yu. He would not deny them help in their moment of need.

“Wait here,” he’d told her, “I will bring your kin back to you.”

* * *

Jiang Cheng was dumbfounded to see Wei Wuxian bursting into the inner chambers where the Heads of the Four Sects were conferring, his bow tainted with barely restrained urgency.

“_Wei Wuxian_,” he hissed, uncertain, and his brother only glanced at him before his gaze riveted to Jin Guangshan.

"Sect Leader Jin. Forgive me the intrusion, but I have a pressing favour to ask.”

“By all means, ask away, Young Master Wei,” The master of Jin purred, unfazed at the sudden interruption. Jiang Cheng didn’t like how Jin Guangshan’s gaze bore into Wei Wuxian, like he was looking at a particularly prized commodity.

“I heard that Wen Qing of Qishang Wen and her clan are now in the custody of Lanling Jin,” Wei Wuxian began, eyes appraising as he studied Jin Guangshan, “I would appreciate if Sect Leader Jin would let me deal with them.”

Jin Guangshan did not miss the surprise that flitted across Jiang Cheng’s face, the way Wei Wuxian said _me_, instead of _Yunmeng Jiang_. His smile widened.

“Ah, but Young Master Wei, why would you be interested in Wen Qing’s subdivison in particular?”

Wei Wuxian took a beat too long to answer this.

“Wen Qing’s clan was involved in the siege and occupation of Lotus Pier. It’s a personal vendetta, Sect Leader Jin.”

“There are rules to how the prisoners of war are to be handled, Wei Wuxian,” Nie Mingjue intercepted, clearly offended by his lack of etiquette in storming the chambers, “Personal revenge is not tolerated.”

Wei Wuxian visibly bit down on a scathing retort, because this was certainly not how the sects had handled the Wen prisoners, wasn’t it? Perhaps Chifeng-zun was truly oblivious to the inhumane treatment the Wens were routinely subject to; perhaps not. But this could wait.

“I am by no means suggesting that Yunmeng Jiang will deal out any punishment that is excessive. I am only asking that the right to deal with these prisoners be vested in Yunmeng Jiang.”

“I fully understand how you feel, Young Master Wei, but I couldn’t possibly do so without going through the proper procedures…” There was an unmistakably pleased air to Jin Guangshan’s smile. Wei Wuxian wanted something from him, and that was something that he could certainly capitalise on. 

“I would appreciate if I could take them back to Lotus Pier after this Conference,” Wei Wuxian insisted, all courtesy forgotten, and Jin Guangshan raised a curious brow.

Was Wei Wuxian in such a hurry to exact his revenge? A great many Wen disciples, after all, had been involved in the destruction of Lotus Pier, and it made little sense for Wei Wuxian to ask specifically for a subdivision consisting mostly of healers.

But Wen Qing, he recalled quite abruptly, was quite a beauty in her own right. Jin Guangshan had seen the maiden a few times in earlier days, when the Wens had been less powerful and more willing to engage in inter-sect communication. He’d found himself helplessly drawn by her slender figure and delicate features. If only she wasn’t so strong-willed.

Maybe this was more a matter of lust for Wei Wuxian, and not revenge? If this was so, then he could certainly indulge the man. It was not as if Wei Wuxian, if he valued his reputation and his prospects, could make a wife out of a Wen anyway. Jin Su was certainly a more appropriate match in this respect.

“I will make sure each and every one of Wen Qing’s clan is accounted for and sent back to Carp Tower after this discussion. Especially Wen Qing,” he said – hook, line and sinker - and watched as Wei Wuxian’s expression _changed_. “We can have another discussion at Carp Tower when they arrive. For now, _have patience_, Young Master Wei.”

“You…” Wei Wuxian started, outraged, his hand reaching towards his waist in vague purpose, but the vice grip on his wrist stopped whatever he had to say.

“Yunmeng Jiang thanks you for your kind consideration, Sect Leader Jin,” Jiang Cheng gritted out, his fingers wrapping tight enough to leave bruises on Wei Wuxian’s skin, “_We will take our leave now._”

* * *

The moment they reached the safe confines of their lodgings, Jiang Cheng threw Wei Wuxian against the garden wall without another word.

“_One more day_,” the Jiang Master snarled, “one more day, and we would have made it out of Carp Tower unscathed and unbothered. Do you _have_ to do this, Wei Wuxian? Make a fool of our sect in front of the rest of the Four Sects?”

“That hurts, Jiang Cheng, damn,” Wei Wuxian complained absently, because that was some really sturdy wall the Jins had built. He straightened, rubbing at his waist.

“Now _tell me_. What the hell possessed you to ask the Jins for custody of Wen Qing and her clan? I don’t want anything to do with them. None of us wants anything to do with them. I will not allow any Wen dog to step one foot into Yunmeng territory. The Jins can deal with them as they like.”

In truth, he should have run this plan across Jiang Cheng before he stormed into that room, but time was running out and he didn’t really have the luxury of choice.

“You know, I ran into Wen Qing at the market today. The Jins have been trying to kill Wen Qing and her clan off, Jiang Cheng. She begged me to save them. She begged me to save Wen Ning,” he told Jiang Cheng, who took on an alarmed look at this.

“I can’t let that stand, Jiang Cheng. That was the only way I could ensure that the Jins don’t just kill them in the dark and pretend that they died in a freak accident.”

“And this is our problem how?” his adopted brother scoffed, derisive, “Wen Qing and Wen Ning are part of the Wen. They have already chosen their paths from the beginning. Why must we risk our necks to save the very people who burnt down Lotus Pier?”

Wei Wuxian stilled at these heartless words, raising his eyes in plain disbelief. “If you haven’t forgotten, _Wen Qing and Wen Ning saved our lives!_ Is that how you repay a debt, Jiang Cheng?”

“How typically heroic of you. The great Young Master Wei, giving all he has to repay a debt. Perhaps we wouldn’t have needed saving if the Wen dogs haven’t wiped our sect out!” Jiang Cheng retaliated, simmering rage in his words, and continued.

“_Remember your place_, Wei Wuxian. You are the Head Elder of Yunmeng Jiang, not some unallied rogue cultivator. You can’t go against the will of the entire cultivation world and show mercy to the Wens. You can’t make Yunmeng Jiang go against the will of the entire cultivation world! Leave it, Wei Wuxian. This was not something you should involve yourself with.”

Wei Wuxian stood.

“_You’re an ungrateful jerk_, Jiang Cheng. Forget it. Do whatever you want, I’m going.”

“And _where_ do you think you’re going?”

“Wherever the Jins have taken Wen Ning,” said Wei Wuxian as he pushed past his brother, “I’ll regret it if I don’t go. They saved us when they didn’t have to, and I won’t forget that, ever. Even if you do. _Move_.”

“You never change, Wei Wuxian. _You’re such a selfish bastard_,” said Jiang Cheng, and lunged.

Jiang Cheng had never been able to beat Wei Wuxian in practically _anything_, particularly in hand-to-hand combat. Agile and unpredictable, his martial brother was an unparalleled genius in the arts, the embodiment of what Yunmeng Jiang’s style was meant to be. Jiang Cheng had long since come to terms with the fact that the heavens favoured Wei Wuxian over him, no matter what Madame Yu might say.

On the training grounds, Wei Wuxian could trounce Jiang Cheng in less than thirty moves, though he would never do that when Jiang Fengmian, Madame Yu or the rest of their martial siblings were watching. Jiang Cheng’s pride was a prickly little thing, after all.

But now…

Jiang Cheng stared down in utter incredulity at his adopted brother, who had one arm twisted behind him and was feebly struggling against his grip.

He couldn’t remember the last time they’d sparred, sword to sword or hand to hand. It must have been somewhere before the war, before everything went to hell. They’d been in real combat so much since the commencement of the Campaign that there was simply no time for sparring anymore.

Now, Wei Wuxian couldn’t even last five moves against him. No amount of skimping on training, and no amount of not using his spiritual power, could possibly have explained that.

Wei Wuxian - he recalled with a sudden, ugly pang - had stopped using Suibian, or any form of martial arts at all, after his return from the Burial Mounds. He’d even refused to wear Suibian on his person anymore, choosing to let his corpses, and occasionally his talismans, do his fighting. 

…He should have realised. If anything, the drastic change in Wei Wuxian’s behaviour should have tipped him off. But they had all been a little mad, then, overwhelmed by hatred and desperation and retribution, and there was no telling what was normal behaviour and what was not.

Or perhaps he should have realised when he shoved Wei Wuxian, a few days before, only to accidentally send him through the wall instead.

“What the hell,” he said, a tremor in his voice, “Wei Wuxian, what happened to your spiritual power?”

His brother looked like a feral, cornered beast at his words, and wriggled weakly against his grip with renewed vigour. It was nothing like the sturdy strength Jiang Cheng was used to.

“I haven’t even been _using_ it! It’s not like I want to topple Carp Tower in a brawl!” Wei Wuxian shouted from in front of him, but the panic in his low tenor was unmistakable, and it only solidified Jiang Cheng’s fears.

There was perhaps only one way to find out.

“Stay put,” Jiang Cheng demanded as he manhandled Wei Wuxian, face first, into the ground, “Damn you, _stay put_!”

Fingers curled around Wei Wuxian’s pulse, Jiang Cheng sent a sliver of his spiritual power, probing, into his adopted brother’s spiritual vein. He could not discern even a trace of spiritual power in Wei Wuxian’s body. It was as though his brother wasn’t even a cultivator in the first place.

Jiang Cheng let out a startled gasp, his vision blurring momentarily as Wei Wuxian took the opening, dark tendrils wrapping around his person and throwing Jiang Cheng across the grounds.

They stayed like that for a while, both of them lying in an undignified heap on the ground, when Jiang Cheng finally gathered enough presence of mind to say, in quiet horror, “Your spiritual power, it is gone.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” Wei Wuxian’s responding laugh was strained with barely repressed hysteria, “There’s nothing wrong, you know that. I just didn’t want to use it!”

“_Stop fucking lying_!” Jiang Cheng stomped over to him, pupils blown wide, and snatched Suibian from his waist – scabbard and all - with a violent tug. “Your spiritual sword. _Use it_. Use it and prove to me that there isn’t anything wrong with your spiritual power.”

“I…I don’t need to prove _anything_, Jiang Cheng, you’re being unreasonable!”

“_Good_,” Jiang Cheng was beyond furious now, if the vicious snarl on his face was any indication, “Good. Keep lying. Wait till A-jie hears this. Just you wait.”

“…Don’t,” Wei Wuxian finally implored, “Jiang Cheng, don’t make her worry.”

Jiang Cheng picked him up by his lapels, glaring down at his adopted brother in uncontrollable rage.

“So you _do_ know that she’ll be worried. Wei Wuxian, you insult me. You insult _us_,” Jiang Cheng spat as he tried to control his breathing, “We made you family. What right do you have in keeping this from us?”

There was really no reply Wei Wuxian could make to this, so he kept his mouth shut, allowing Jiang Cheng to shake him like a rag doll.

“Speak,” commanded Jiang Cheng. Wei Wuxian weighed his choices, and simply hung limp in his brother’s grasp.

Silence reverberated in the empty hallways. The Jiang disciples, having the benefit of experience, had long since fled the general vicinity of the fight the moment Jiang Cheng started shouting. Jiang Cheng eventually let go of his brother, dropping him unceremoniously as though he was a sack of potatoes.

“Here is what will happen,” he eventually informed Wei Wuxian, “I’m heading out to find the Wen woman. She will come with us to Lotus Pier, and you _will_ let her diagnose you. She will tell me, without reservation, what is wrong with you, and what she can do to cure you. As for the rest of her clan...I will make sure they live. They will live as long as she is useful to me. I will make no further promise than that.”

“Let me come with you,” Wei Wuxian hurried to reply, after he had managed to wrap his mind around Jiang Cheng’s sudden compromise, “I know where she is.”

“You will _stay right here_ until I return. If you so much as put a toe beyond these doors,” his scowl at that moment would have put Madame Yu’s steely reproach to shame, “Consider yourself disowned.”

* * *

“You think you can let me hide in Cloud Recesses for a while until this blows over?” 

Earnest and imploring, Wei Wuxian’s gaze was nigh irresistible, and Lan Zhan had to force himself to avert his eyes lest he caved in.

_Yes_, of course, because that was the only thing Lan Zhan had ever wanted in life: Wei Wuxian by his side, forever, as they live out their days in the tranquillity and peace of his hometown. But this was not what Wei Wuxian wanted or needed, and Lan Zhan knew it only too well.

It was so unfair of Wei Wuxian to ask this of him.

“No,” he held his ground instead, “This is not going to _“blow over”_, A-Ying.”

“Shijie is going to find out any moment,” Wei Ying drew a shuddering breath, looking nothing like the fearless necromancer of the battlefield he was best known for, “They found out too soon. They aren’t supposed to know.”

Lan Zhan did not bother to tell him that the entire plan to keep his condition secret from the Jiangs was doomed from the beginning.

“They are your family.”

“Wen Qing…she can tell them it’s a curable injury,” Inebriated, Wei Ying was as petulant as a spoilt Jin child, “We’ll all be happy. She’ll help me. She needs to help me. Er-ge, help me get this across to her.”

Now Wei Ying was being ridiculous.

Years of yearning had bent Lan Zhan’s iron will; had made him malleable to Wei Ying’s every whim and fancy. He became his brother because Wei Ying longed for one, and kept his secret because he knew that, deep down, Wei Ying was terrified of his family’s devastation. He bought him children’s toys because they amused him; piled him with snacks because they satiated his random curiosity. He was, in short, a willing slave to Wei Ying’s desire, and did not even have the decency to regret it for one second.

But he had also resolved to be Wei Ying’s light and guide, and he would not fail him now.

“You need to talk to Sect Leader Jiang and Miss Jiang. Not Miss Wen.”

Wei Ying turned peeved eyes at him, displeased at his words, but Lan Zhan did not falter. “If you don’t want to help me, fine. I’ll go get her myself.”

He lurched forward in a feeble attempt at getting up, and Lan Zhan caught him by the shoulders, setting him down so he leaned against Lan Zhan’s side.

“You’re in no condition to go anywhere.”

“You didn’t see how pissed Jiang Cheng was,” Wei Ying muttered, quiet for once as he nestled against his neck, “he was absolutely livid. And Shijie is so going to cry. How can I talk to them about this?”

“You can. They will be there.”

“I am scared,” admitted Wei Ying in a rare, unconscious show of vulnerability. This was a different Wei Ying from the confident, capricious head disciple who had forced his way into his life. This, as Lan Zhan had come to learn, was Wei Ying too.

“I am here,” Lan Zhan said, and it was perhaps a vow more sacred than the one he’d taken, on the altar of Lotus Pier, “Always.”

“Always,” parroted Wei Wuxian in drunken contemplation, “Lan Zhan, you’re too good. I like you so much.”

He looked into Wei Ying’s eyes, frank and open with adoration. This was the kind of look he always bestowed on Jiang Yanli when she called him for dinner; the kind of look he sometimes shot Jiang Cheng when the two of them took on the world side by side, as the Twin Heroes of Yunmeng. 

It should not have hurt as much as it did.

“…Me, too,” Lan Zhan said, “Me too.”

He held Wei Wuxian long after the demonic cultivator had drifted off, muttering about how the Emperor’s Smile was so much better than this stale piss, and how there was a dire need for Lan Zhan to send him the Emperor’s Smile from Gusu regularly.

If he was a dutiful brother and the righteous jade of Gusu, he would have carried Wei Ying off the roof and escorted him back to his quarters, so that he wouldn’t catch a cold on the rooftop.

But as Lan Zhan pressed a desperate, remorseless kiss against Wei Ying’s pliant lips, the only thing on his mind was that he was, perhaps, a far less virtuous person than Wei Ying thought him to be. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yu Yanling = 虞雁翎 (lit. feather of a wild goose). Because I like the idea of the Yus having bird-themed names. 
> 
> A summary of this chapter: behold all your favourite MDZS quotes, put in a wildly different context! 
> 
> Next up: LZ orchestrates his own heartbreak three times a day, while WWX remains blissfully oblivious. Meanwhile, Jin Guangshan is his evil self, and therefore plot happens.
> 
> LXC would like to gently remind everyone that, despite common misconceptions, he actually has a real sect to run.


	8. We Ask Not to be Born

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LXC: A-Yao, what's wrong?
> 
> JGY: Brother, I sort of feel guilty about taking WWX from Wangji but my ambitions take precedence.
> 
> LXC: Wangji, what's wrong?
> 
> LZ: Brother, I don't feel guilty about kissing Wei Ying at all but maybe I ought to.
> 
> LXC: I hate being the elder brother sometimes.

His sworn younger brother, Lan Xichen couldn’t help but note, was more subdued than usual. Jin Guangyao was silent the whole way to the Lan quarters as he walked alongside the First Jade, hands folded in his sleeves.

It was only half a month since they’d last met, and Lan Xichen was still trying to accustom himself to his sworn brother’s new name, the gold and vermillion he now adorned himself with. He was so used to Meng Yao – humble and unassuming and utterly unremarkable – that at times Jin Guangyao seemed like a new person altogether, a gilded version of the person he knew so well.

The part that did not sit well with Lan Xichen, in particular, was the black mesh hat. It made Jin Guangyao look more refined, no doubt, and went well with the uniform; but did not actually suit Jin Guangyao as a person for reasons Lan Xichen could not readily articulate.

“A-Yao,” he couldn’t help but say, softly, as dull shadows continued to dance on his sworn brother’s countenance, “Is something wrong?”

“Oh,” Jin Guangyao started at his voice, fingers worrying subconsciously at his sleeve, “I – Er-ge, it’s really nothing. It’s only that - I feel that I should apologise.”

Lan Xichen blinked, slightly taken aback. “Apologise?”

“Yes,” Jin Guangyao said, exhaling, stress evident in the corners of his lips.

Being with the Jins did not make his sworn brother any happier, Lan Xichen had noted with a heavy heart after watching his brother go about his business in Carp Tower. Jin Guangshan was not a forgiving figure, nor did he actually care about Jin Guangyao as a son. The rest of the Sect were quick to pick up on his lack of favour, and did not hesitate to bully him _en masse_, uncaring of his reputation as the only man who’d managed to assassinate Wen Ruohan. 

The constant pressure to perform, to be of value to Lanling Jin seemed to have bent Jin Guangyao’s shoulders, and Lan Xichen wondered, sometimes, if going back to his kin – instead of, say, working alongside Da-ge in the Unclean Realm – had been the best choice for Jin Guangyao.

Disquieted as he was, Lan Xichen nevertheless kept his own counsel. For as long as Lan Xichen had known him, Jin Guangyao had only ever dreamed of Carp Tower, of the Jin blood in his veins, and Lan Xichen would not discourage him, now.

“About…Wangji. Even knowing how Wangji feels about Young Master Wei, I still went ahead to Lotus Pier with the marriage proposal for A-Su.”

_Oh_. Lan Xichen closed his eyes, his brother’s devastation in the face of Wei Wuxian’s potential marriage fresh in his mind. But how could any of this have been A-Yao’s fault? The proposal for political alliance had obviously been the work of Sect Leader Jin, and bore all the craftiness and impatience of the Master of Jin. It would have been unfilial for Jin Guangyao as his son – an unfavoured one, no less – to go against it, even if he had wanted to.

And the truth was this: even if it wasn’t Jin Su, it would have been someone else, eventually. Wei Wuxian was handsome, accomplished, well-connected, _powerful_. Therein lay the crux of the problem.

“Wangji…has made his decision, and now he must live with it. Miss Su seems like a good match for Wuxian. At least they seem to enjoy each other’s company.”

He did not sound sincere even to himself. But Jin Guangyao seemed to look genuinely encouraged at his mollification, his frown giving way to a small smile.

“I do think though , Er-ge – that Wangji has chosen the correct path. It is clear that he cares for Young Master Wei’s well-being before anything else, and the brotherhood will bring Young Master Wei protection and repute in these trying times. If however Wangji’s affections were to be known to the cultivation world…I cannot imagine that it would be looked upon kindly.”

Lan Xichen suddenly found it hard to breathe. A-Yao was only trying to be kind. What he was saying was nothing less than the brutal truth.

He did not have the heart to tell Jin Guangyao his utter conviction that the brotherhood had been the high point of his baby brother’s folly, and that this decision would eventually come back to haunt Wangji.

“Er-ge, I will be heading to Lotus Pier again for A-Su. Hopefully if this goes ahead, everything will be settled in due course.”

To Jin Guangyao, the marriage between Wei Wuxian and Jin Su would have killed multiple birds with one stone – Wei Wuxian would get a gentle wife, Jin Su a worthy husband; Wangji would be able to set aside his doomed love, and Xichen would be freed of his eternal worry for his little brother.

And A-Yao…A-Yao would certainly be praised for a job well done.

Jin Guangyao observed his reaction, looking cautiously hopeful. “Wangji is still young. Young Master Wei’s marriage would hopefully help him set aside the…romantic affections Wangji has for him, if nothing else could. Do not worry, Er-ge. Wangji will be fine. Time will do the rest.”

Lan Xichen smiled weakly.

Lan Xichen knew his brother like the back of his hand. The only thing Wei Wuxian’s marriage would do was turn Wangji’s already unrequited longing for his sworn brother into an even more unrequited longing for his sworn, _married_ brother.

But how, he mused as he bid his sworn brother good night, could Lan Xichen even begin to explain to Jin Guangyao the bottomless depth of a Lan’s love, the fate of the Lans, perhaps, to chase after things they could not have?

* * *

Wei Wuxian realised three things upon waking up: he was back on the Jiangs’ travelling ship, Lan Zhan was nowhere to be seen, and _there was a dog on this vessel._

The second realisation came to him when he uncovered a letter from his sworn brother, carefully placed in the folds of his robe, bidding him a temporary goodbye.

Lan Zhan was going to find the rest of Wen Qing’s clan. Ensure that they were safe. Bring them under Gusu Lan’s custody or control where possible. After that, the Second Jade would return to Cloud Recesses to retrieve texts from the the restricted library. He would be back to assist Wei Ying with the Seal in no time, once his affairs had been settled.

In the meantime, instructed the letter – and Wei Wuxian could almost imagine the stern set to his sworn brother’s eyes - Wei Ying must play the Song of Clarity every night, refrain from searching for the remaining Wens and coming into greater conflict with his family. Lan Zhan would send him updates on the Wens’ wellbeing as soon as he could.

_Listen_, the letter seemed to speak to him, in Lan Zhan’s newfound elder brother tone, _behave_. Wei Wuxian chuckled to himself, a familiar warmth in his heart.

The fact that Lan Zhan had left so abruptly without so much as a goodbye jarred him a little. It had only been half a month, but he had grown accustomed to Lan Zhan’s company and counsel. His sworn brother had fit into his life like he had always belonged there in the first place, and had _stayed_.

Wei Wuxian would really have appreciated Lan Zhan’s support right now.

But Wei Wuxian also understood priorities, and he was immensely grateful for Lan Zhan’s split-second decision to personally ensure the safety of the remaining Wens on his behalf. Lan Zhan had probably known that Wei Wuxian would try to convince Jiang Cheng to rescue the Wens once he woke up, and had taken steps to preempt the inevitable confrontation in the best way he knew how.

His sworn brother had also left him several of his communication talismans, _just in case Wei Wuxian needed him. _Truly, he couldn’t have asked for a better brother.

The third realisation came to him as he decided to throw his sworn brother’s warning to the wind and snuck out the window to locate Wen Qing.

Three steps into his big adventure, he came face to face with a puppy no bigger than a large squirrel, watching inquisitively as he threw one leg beyond the window sill. When they locked eyes, the thing tripped over itself in its eagerness to greet him.

His panicked shrieks echoed throughout the entire ship.

_“D-D-Dog!! Shijie! Jiang Cheng, help! There’s a dog!” _

A flurry of movement exploded in the ship as Jiang disciples ran over to investigate.

A pair of soft slippers pattered into the room, and Wei Wuxian looked up to see his shijie leaning down, guiding him up gently by the arms.

“There’s nothing to fear now, A-Xian. They took Peach away.”

_Peach_. Wei Wuxian didn’t need three guesses as to who exactly had christened this particular mutt. Aggrieved, he latched onto Jiang Yanli and whimpered frantic accusations. “Shijie, they have a dog on this ship - Jiang Cheng is bullying me!”

“‘_Sis’_,” Jiang Yanli corrected patiently, even as she set him down onto the edge of his bed and sat with him. After some reflection, Jiang Yanli had admitted that Jiang Cheng did have a point, and what Wei Wuxian called them mattered beyond simple choice of words. She was, and she ought to be, Wei Wuxian’s elder sister before she was his martial sister. Jiang Cheng was his younger brother and not his master. If they didn’t insist that Wei Wuxian learnt his place in the family, Wei Wuxian was never going to remember.

She had been gently encouraging him to make the transition for a while now; but old habits die hard and A-Xian was _forgetful_.

Jiang Cheng did not miss a beat in pointing out that Wei Wuxian was only too willing to call Lan Wangji, in his sickly sweet tone, his _Er-ge _even before he took the oath. Maybe they should have made Wei Wuxian change his name to _Jiang _Wuxian, just to beat things into his thick skull.

“A-Cheng would never do that, you know that. It’s just…the puppy got on board by accident, and we can’t just throw it into the lake. She’s supposed to be with Miss Wen, but maybe she got loose.”

As much as Wei Wuxian hated dogs, he hadn’t expected his sect to just drown the puppy. That would have been downright cruel. But the question of why they would throw the puppy at Wen Qing – maybe Wen Qing liked dogs? – still stumped him.

Wei Wuxian was not, however, quite ready to forgo the melodrama before his shijie yet.

“A-Xian is _terrified_, Sis.”

“A-Xian must have been terrified,” agreed Jiang Yanli with a small hum, “I’m sorry we couldn’t have been there for you.”

There was an unmistakable, dangerous, double entendre in that sentence, and Wei Wuxian felt an icy grip at his heart as he immediately wondered _how much_, exactly, the Jiang siblings had gleaned from Wen Qing while he was out cold. He didn’t want to know.

“I hate dogs,” he continued to lament, and Jiang Yanli simply stroke his hair, pillowing his head in her lap.

“A-Xian. Sis knows that you’ve been very, very brave. But A-Xian has been fighting alone for so long – isn’t it tiring, fighting all by your lonesome?”

It was. In the year following the loss of his golden core, he had lived in perpetual fear of being busted by his Sect and the world. His deception to Jiang Cheng, to Jiang Yanli, weighed at him even as he spouted more lies and excuses at them, each one more flimsy than the one before. He could not get close to any of the disciples in Lotus Pier, or instruct them properly, for fear that they would catch on to his secret. He could not properly defend himself from the scorn of the cultivation world, and worried incessantly that someone, somehow, would see through his act for what it was.

He couldn’t trust himself to speak past the sudden block in his throat, so he only huddled tighter into Jiang Yanli’s skirts.

“You don’t know how scared A-Cheng is,” the Young Mistress of Jiang continued steadily, “All along, he has been letting you fight the war with your spiritual energy going haywire. Oh, A-Xian. You could very well have died, and we would never have known better.” 

The Jiang sibling’s fear scared him like nothing could, and Wei Wuxian racked his brain for something to say, just to diffuse the tension.

“I could fight just fine, Sis,” he objected. These were hollow words, but he had nothing else to offer, “you know that I was one of the best fighters on our side!”

“I know. Our A-Xian always fight so hard. Sis only wishes she could be of more help,” she gathered Wei Wuxian into her lap, like she would a child, and heaved a heavy sigh.

“When we get home, can A-Xian do me a favour, and let Miss Wen check you over? Just to know what we will have to do. Just to know how we can help. Sis will be so, so happy if you would do that for me.”

Wei Wuxian froze, his pride and fear bubbling and spilling over.

“Shijie, _please_.”

Jiang Yanli shushed him, gentle rebuke in her voice. “If A-Xian is scared, if A-Xian doesn’t want to talk, it’s fine. But Sis must know if A-Xian’s hurt, if A-Xian is still hurting. A-Cheng and I will not lose you again. No buts – will A-Xian listen to his elder sister?”

This, Wei Wuxian thought, was unfair. If it was Jiang Cheng, he could easily have blown him off in fifty different ways; prodded and poked and needled until Jiang Cheng turned purple with rage and left. But Jiang Yanli had him under her thumb; he would always be the bedraggled child huddled in fear on a tree, waiting for her to bring him home.

Jiang Cheng had known, and had therefore opted to choose the easy way out and let her talk him into submission.

It was unfair, the ease with which the Jiang siblings could dismantle his defences nowadays, and it made Wei Wuxian’s heart ache with deep-rooted affection even as he admitted defeat.

“Okay.”

* * *

Wei Wuxian renewed his frantic search for the Divine Healer the moment the door closed behind Jiang Yanli.

Deciding to discard with discretion entirely, since the entire vessel was probably aware of his waking by now, Wei Wuxian stopped a brat of Jiang Cheng’s – one of the first new disciples he’d seen upon his return from the Burial Mound – in her tracks and offered her his most brilliant grin.

_Chen Lianzhou_, Wei Wuxian recalled, was her name. _Lotus-picking boat. _

_The water bird rose with a fish in its beak, _he recited to himself, the_ lotus-picking boat breezed through the water chestnuts on its journey home._

It was a pretty name, he supposed, lovingly lifted from the poetry of old, and oh-so-fitting for a Jiang disciple. He didn’t however know the first thing about her beside her name.

“Hi, do you know where our lady guest is? You know – slightly dark skin, almond eyes, sweet features?”

For some reason, the girl seemed to silently judge him even as she bowed.

“Replying to Elder Master, our guest is currently hosted at the lower deck. She is, however, accompanied by a dog, so perhaps…”

She let her words trail off, the implication hanging thick in the air. Obviously, the brat knew him better than he’d known her, and was well aware that he was not a fan of canines.

_She’s supposed to be with Miss Wen_, Wei Wuxian recalled Jiang Yanli’s words with a striking clarity now. Damn, but Jiang Cheng was _savage_. With the innocent pup in the room, Jiang Cheng could count on Wei Wuxian not touching base with Wen Qing anytime soon.

“…‘Elder Master’? Not Head Elder?” Wei Wuxian asked, momentarily side-tracked by the change to his title, and Chen Lianzhou tilted her head just _so_, prideful but not. Wei Wuxian was more than sure he’d seen that expression on her Master’s face.

“…Elder Master, as in the elder brother of Sect Leader Jiang, sir,” she said, as though daring him to challenge her. Really, these babies of Jiang Cheng’s were cute in their defiance. He’d never really noticed.

Wei Wuxian was somewhat of a living legend among Jiang Cheng’s apprentices. They’d heard of his ominous practice of demonic cultivation; had heard that he was a one-man army capable of decimating sects by himself. They’d heard that Wei Wuxian was one of the major reason for the Wens’ vanquishment.

Only the lucky ones who’d been fighting at the frontlines of the Campaign and lived to tell the tale had ever seen him in action.

They had, for the longest of times, fumbled over what they ought to call Wei Wuxian, who was a lone wolf and remained resolutely uninvolved in their discipleship most of the time.

_Shibo_ was obviously accurate, given that he was Sect Leader Jiang’s elder martial brother and therefore their martial uncle; _Head Elder _was his official, ill-fitting title. Wei Wuxian himself didn’t seem to mind what they called him; didn’t, for the most part, seemed like he was aware of their existence at all.

Then their strict, aloof Master had hung red lanterns all over Lotus Pier in honour of this very person and demanded that they all refer to him as the Sect Leader’s elder brother without fail, from now on.

He was, they realised belatedly, not only Lotus Pier’s best fighter; he was Master’s only remaining family beside the Young Mistress, and now that the war was over, Master had taken to guarding him as fiercely as he’d guarded the Young Mistress.

The Master had given her a job where the Head Elder was concerned, and she would ensure that it was properly done.

“Elder Master,” Chen Lianzhou asked of this mysterious man, “Would you like lunch to be delivered to your rooms now? You haven’t eaten anything since last night.”

Their eyes met, and Chen Lianzhou saw understanding creep unbidden into the Elder Master’s eyes.

“Sure,” he smiled a knowing smile that belied his reputation as the bloodthirsty necromancer as he beat a decisive retreat into his own room, “I’m starved. I’ll just…head back. Thanks!”

Chen Lianzhou stared after his retreating back for a full three seconds, pondering at the speed Wei Wuxian had given up, before making her way to the kitchen.

* * *

“Jiang Cheng, you think you and your brats have thwarted me?” Wei Wuxian muttered once he’d slammed the door shut and bolted it behind him, fishing out a paperman talisman from the folds of his robe. “You think you can stop me from speaking to Wen Qing?”

He scrawled the spell onto the paperman almost vindictively. “Come forth…Xiao-Hung.”

There was a long, petulant pause before shadows swirled and took shape around the talisman, Xiao-Hung pouting prettily as she materialised in her flowing red skirts.

“Young Master, it is _very early _in the day. Xiao Hung hasn’t even done her makeup yet!”

“Hi to you too, Xiao-Hung,” said Wei Wuxian wryly, because, if he remembered correctly, _he_ had all along been the one doing Xiao-Hung’s makeup for her, carefully crafting Xiao-Hung’s features onto her dead face from the scant memories she’d shown him once his powers had allowed him to do so.

“Where is the Young Master of White Jade?” said Xiao-Hung curiously as she glanced around the bunker.

“Gone on business,” shrugged Wei Wuxian, “what, are you looking for him?”

“He is so magnificent. I would have loved to kiss him,” giggled Xiao-Hung, cradling her head in a palm.

“Please don’t,” Wei Wuxian massaged the bridge of his nose, and tried not to imagine his sworn brother’s mortification at one of Wei Wuxian’s creatures trying to assault him, “he’ll just cleanse you on sight, and I’ll never hear the end of it.”

Xiao-Hung had been a bride on her way to her groom’s village when she and her entire family were robbed, killed and mutilated by vagrant henchmen of the Wens, who thought absolutely nothing of oppressing the common people with their meagre cultivation prowess.

The red maiden was resilient in her vengeance; had hunted down and killed each and every one of her murderers over the span of a few years. But for all her resentment and ferocity, Xiao-Hung was, however, a textbook example of a mooning maiden even in death.

She was endlessly fascinated with each and every young master who crossed Wei Wuxian’s path, pestering her master with unsolicited and frankly harassing commentary of them: Jiang Cheng’s thin, alluring lips meant he had a tendency to be disloyal despite how he’d initially appeared to her as a family man. Nie Huaisang’s bushy eyebrows were undisputable proof that, for all his quail-like demeanour, he would be a formidable lover in bed, and would Young Master look at all those firm muscles underneath Nie Mingjue’s robes?

It took quite a while for Wei Wuxian to understand that Xiao-Hung’s obsession with young men was her own way of grieving the loss of a husband she had never had the chance to meet and know. Wei Wuxian would eventually find Xiao-Hung’s groom for her, whoever and wherever the guy was, learn Xiao-Hung’s true name, and put her to rest once and for all.

Xiao-Hung had also cooed over Lan Xichen with all his shining perfection, that fateful day in the inn at Qishan; but when it came to Lan Zhan, all she had to say was a ponderous “hm”.

Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but be indignant on his sworn brother’s behalf, because Lan Zhan had as much beauty and poise as Lan Xichen, and only lacked perhaps his brother’s easy smile. But Wei Wuxian had seen Lan Zhan’s smile, and it was every bit as breath-taking as his brother’s. If Xiao-Hung was heaping praises on all the mediocre men around them, there was no way she could have missed out on the beautiful Second Jade.

“Who would the Young Master of White Jade want to kiss, I wonder?” Xiao-Hung said, fingers perched mischievously on lips of bridal red, and Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes. 

“No one, probably. Do the Lans even kiss?” said Wei Wuxian, his patience running short. He was not in the mood for the maiden’s mooning today.

Xiao-Hung shook her head, an amused and secretive smile at her lips. “Ah, Young Master, but I assure you that they do.”

Wei Wuxian let out an exasperated snort, not wanting to dwell on this question for any longer. “Setting aside the question of whether the Lans do kiss people…Xiao-Hung, I need your help.”

Xiao-Hung straightened in attention, and there she was, his proudest creation, his trusty soldier in red awaiting his command.

“Xiao-Hung is at your service, Young Master.”

“Find Wei Qing. Tell her that Lan Wangji has headed out in search of her clan. Tell her I will relate news of them to her once I got them. Tell her…”

He let out a heavy, burdened breath.

“That even if Jiang Cheng finds out about the golden core, Wei Wuxian begs her to keep the transplant a secret at all costs.”

* * *

His younger brother, Lan Xichen couldn’t help but note, was quietly distressed. He could hear it through the Wangji qin’s minute tremors, in the way his little brother’s hands perched atop his instrument almost uncertainly.

He didn’t ask him what happened, because, obviously, _Wei Ying _happened. It seemed to be all that was happening with Wangji, these days_. _Lan Xichen could have resented Wei Ying if the boy wasn’t so hellbent on making himself the best brother for Lan Zhan.

“Brother,” Wangji started, as his song tapered off into silence, “After I locate the Wens, I will return. To Cloud Recesses.”

Lan Xichen’s brows rose in surprise. “I thought you’re going to help Young Master Wei with the destruction of the Stygian Tiger Seal.”

“I will, eventually,” Lan Zhan said, and did not offer any further explanation.

Lan Xichen gave up on his tact. It couldn’t hurt to ask exactly _how_ Wei Ying had happened, this time around.

“Wangji – what happened?”

His younger brother opened his mouth after a stretch of ponderous silence.

“I have wronged Wei Ying,” he admitted, quietly.

Wangji, thought Lan Xichen, was probably still hung up about that episode with Jin Su, and how he’d reacted to the prospect of Wei Ying’s marriage. Wangji must have realised, now, how selfish his attempts to keep Wei Wuxian to himself was. He had always been a good man like that.

“We all make our mistakes,” said Lan Xichen, consoling, “do not dwell on it.”

“I have not regretted it.” Wangji’s voice was introspective. Academic, even, as if he was only reflecting on a definite state of affairs, and Lan Xichen’s eyes snapped to the turmoil under his brother’s placid expression.

Wangji had no way of forcing his heart to regret all the transgressions he’d made towards Wei Wuxian in the name of love. He had probably punished himself over them, as their rules and teachings had decreed, but what use was physical punishment if the heart did not repent?

His love would have ruined Wei Wuxian, would have unraveled the trust between them once and for all, if he and his remorseless heart had stayed. Wangji had extracted himself from Wei Wuxian so that he could quietly wrestle and lock his affections back into the figurative box he’d kept it, before he had to appear before Wei Wuxian again.

Since he’d received news of the oath in the Cloud Recesses, Lan Xichen had given more thought about the predicament that Wangji had found himself in.

Wei Wuxian, Lan Xichen could see now, was a kindred spirit; he was unfailingly kind, and trusted Wangji with all the fibres of his being. Even if he had learnt of Wangji’s feelings towards him – even if these feelings were not reciprocated – Lan Xichen knew that, given the right coaching, he could still trust Wei Wuxian to treat Wangji’s heart gently, and to protect his reputation before all else.

And if, by chance, Wei Wuxian returned Wangji’s feelings…

…then there would be a whole new conversation to be had, a brand new can of worms to be opened, and Uncle would murder them all before any of this could be resolved.

“Wuxian would need your help with the Seal soon. Do not lose sight of this,” Xichen said kindly, “And when everything is settled, if you still feel the same towards Wuxian, you _must_ tell me. If you don’t, perhaps Brother would take it upon himself to tell Wuxian himself.”

He had the satisfaction of seeing Wangji’s wide-eyed, disbelieving look before his little brother ducked his head, slight pink creeping into the tip of his ears as Wangji realised he was being teased.

* * *

No amount of mental groundwork could have prepared Wei Wuxian for Jiang Yanli’s choked sobbing, or Jiang Cheng’s crushing grip on his wrist as Wen Qing delivered her sentence, her gaze never meeting with Wei Wuxian’s.

“He doesn’t have a golden core,” said Wen Qing, her voice flat and unrevealing as she prodded clinically at the thin scar on Wei Wuxian’s chest, right where Wei Wuxian’s golden core should have been, “it was cut out from him.”

“What did you say,” muttered Jiang Cheng in muted disbelief, and descended upon her like a man who’d lost his mind, “you thrice-damned Wen dog, what did you say?” 

“Wen Qing, _go_!” Wei Wuxian’s voice rang like a whip, and the physicist didn’t need to be told twice; she fled the room before Jiang Cheng’s rage could manifest in a physical form.

“Jiang Cheng, don’t, it isn’t her fault,” Wei Wuxian tried to reason as he held his brother back by the arm, and Jiang Cheng swirled around, punching him square across his face.

“_A-Cheng_!”

“The Wen dogs _cut out your core alive_,” he snarled, and for a brief moment Wei Wuxian could only see stars in front of his eyes, “and you can’t even be bothered to tell us! You’ve been idiotic enough to fight the entire fucking war without a golden core! Do you even know how many times you could have died?”

Wei Wuxian wiped at the blood at the corner of his lips, and – despite the gnawing guilt in his heart - let the misunderstanding fester. “I didn’t have a choice, Jiang Cheng. I needed to fight - ”

“Maybe we could have fucking _went straight to Baoshan Sanren_ and asked her to fix your core, like we already did once before!”

Wei Wuxian tried to think of a response to this, but his mind was a pitiful blank. His little brother drew up to his full height at his lack of reply, eyes widening in realisation even as his gaze bore holes into Wei Wuxian’s soul.

“You said, then, that she would only heal those who are affiliated to her. When we went to have my core repaired, you told me to convince her that I was Wei Wuxian, the only son of her disciple, so she would heal me.”

Before Wei Wuxian could make sense of what he was saying, a haunted look came over Jiang Cheng’s eyes.

“You can’t ask her to fix your core, because she has already fixed mine. Even if you say that you’re Wei Wuxian, she wouldn’t have believed it, because she's already seen 'Wei Wuxian' before.”

Jiang Cheng’s logic was impeccable if it weren’t so misguided, and Wei Wuxian couldn’t in good conscience let him believe that bullshit of a story he’d cooked up in his brain. He shook his head at his brother vehemently, his hair ribbon flapping with his movement.

“That’s _not_ what happened, Jiang Cheng, let me explain –”

“Shut up. _Stop lying_,” Jiang Cheng bit out as he pressed his palms against his eyes, as though all his strength was sapped out of him. “You couldn’t find a solution. That was why you practised demonic cultivation. I should have realised.”

“_Little brother_, listen to me,” Wei Wuxian grabbed him by the arms desperately, but Jiang Cheng threw him off, sudden and hysterical.

“I’m not your little brother,” snarled Jiang Cheng as he stood, his back to Wei Wuxian, “if I were your little brother, you would not have taken me for a fool. If I were your little brother, you would have trusted me, instead of Lan Wangji, to help you.”  


Wei Wuxian was used to the callousness of Jiang Cheng’s words when the other was angry, had been the recipient of numerous heated insults ever since he was small. But this – this was _different_, and Jiang Cheng’s words plunged into his heart like a poisonous, well-aimed arrow. He froze, struck mute by hurt, even as the Master of Jiang strode out of the room. 

He hadn’t even been adopted for a month, and here Jiang Cheng had already disowned him. How could he have failed so?

“Shijie,” he dredged up his strength to say to the other Jiang sibling in the room, “Please don’t cry. Let A-Xian take you to your room. We’ll – we’ll talk more when everyone’s calmer, okay?”

Jiang Yanli nodded, leaning wordlessly on her brother’s arm as she stood.

The next day, Jiang Cheng rode off on Sandu with some of his trusted disciples, in desperate search of Baoshan Sanren’s celestial mountain. 

Wei Wuxain already knew how that was going to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chen Lianzhou = 陳蓮舟 
> 
> "The water bird rose with a fish in its beak; the lotus-picking boat breezed through the water chestnuts on its journey home." - a loose translation of 水鸟衔鱼上 莲舟拂芰归 from the poem《东亭极望诗》
> 
> Plot moving slower than I expected, but I have had fun exploring some side characters, particularly the girls. Xiao-Hung face reads everyone, but WWX really didn't want to know about Nie Huaisang's sexual prowess.
> 
> Next Up: WWX does his crazy scientific research, and LZ unearths rumours of the White Tiger in the west.


	9. On the Same Year, Month and Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Patriarch, the masses began to murmur after a while, both in scorn and in grudging respect. The name spoke of a power ancient and forbidden; of a force far too big for the cultivation world to stomach.
> 
> What Wei Wuxian was patriarch of went unsaid.

In the month that followed, Wei Wuxian buried himself in his quarters, arrays and talismans flung haphazard across the floor of his room.

Of one thing he was sure: the Seal _must _be destroyed on the Burial Mounds. There was simply no other place he could do it. Despite how crazy the sects were going to find it, the Mound was perhaps the only place they could destroy the Seal without wreaking havoc on unsuspecting civilians.

Vague ideas of setting off the Seal’s power against the resentful force field in the Mounds came to him during these research sessions, but nothing quite seemed to work practically.

Things happened during his timeout from the cultivation world. For one, someone seemed to have remembered that they ought to credit Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian with their official titles, what with all they had done for the cultivation world in the war.

_Sandu __Shengshou – Divine Master of Sandu - _was what they had eventually settled with for Jiang Cheng. It was, Wei Wuxian thought, an incredibly lazy title, as if there was nothing more to Jiang Cheng other than being good at wielding his own weapon.

Jiang Cheng himself didn’t seem to give two shits about how people decided on his title, which surprised Wei Wuxian. Once, his brother would have stressed himself out over how people saw him; would have hoped against hope that his title would make his parents proud. But things had happened one after the other and his priorities had shifted. Now, they could have called him the Purple Rage if it meant that those with ill intentions would stay away from his family and life.

As for Wei Wuxian himself, well - some busybody with too much time on his hands and too little regard for Yunmeng Jiang’s wrath had waxed poetic, trying to advocate _Youming Gongzi_ as Wei Wuxian’s title.

_Young Master of the Dark and the Light. Young Master of the Dead and the Living. _

It was, Wei Wuxian supposed, a fitting, neutral title; descriptive rather than condemning. Whoever the guy was, he had actually gone easy on him; the cultivation world could actually have come up with a lot worse, what with all that he’d done.

Jiang Cheng, apparently, did not share his complacency. He slammed against anyone who had dared to include suggestions of demonic cultivation, or connections with the dead, in Wei Wuxian’s title. For a while, cowed by the Master of Jiang’s displeasure, the cultivation world let the matter of Wei Wuxian’s title hang in limbo. 

Predictably, it didn’t last.

_The Patriarch, _the masses began to murmur after a while, both in scorn and in grudging respect. The name spoke of a power ancient and forbidden; of a force far too big for the cultivation world to stomach.

_What_ Wei Wuxian was patriarch of went unsaid.

No amount of throwing the Jiang’s weight around could quell that particular suggestion, and Jiang Cheng fumed in barely restrained rage while Jiang Yanli took the development with unmistakable sadness.

For his part, Wei Wuxian could really care less about what other cultivators wanted to call him, and would have told Jiang Cheng to sit down and chill if his brother wasn’t spitting mad at _him_ about the entire golden core fiasco, too.

To add fuel to the fire, Jiang Cheng’s wild goose hunt for Baoshan Sanren had predictably yielded zero results. The immortal, it seemed, had decided to move from her celestial mountain for no particular reason he could fathom, after spending at least a century there. Jiang Cheng couldn’t even find any trace of human inhabitation on her celestial mountain, no matter how hard he’d tried.

Wei Wuxian hadn’t seemed surprised; had – because he believed his new brother was an imbecile - insisted he had no idea why that had happened.

The entire event stank of_ even more_ deceit and lying on Wei Wuxian’s side, if that was at all possible, but the only thing he could do, given his brother’s reluctance to be communicative, was send out more scouts in search of news and rumours of whatever could have happened to her.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Wei Wuxian, while he was holed up in his quarters, the people of Lotus Pier were very invested in his tragic romance story.

The most renowned matchmaker of all of Yunmeng, it was said, had declared that a marriage between Miss Jin Su and the Elder Master of Jiang would bring devastation and ruin to both sects and to the couple themselves.

The news broke Lotus Pier’s collective heart, even the maidens who had adored Wei Wuxian, because how _could_ their Young Master Wei, so winning and kind, be denied a beautiful bride of his own choosing?

Dissatisfied with the prediction, Sect Leader Jin had gone to great lengths to seek secondary opinions from distinguished matchmakers from all around the country. This proved, ironically, to be the nail in the coffin.

An old bloke from Qinghe lamented with feeling that, should Wei Wuxian marry Jin Su, he would stray from the righteous path and be abhorred by the cultivation world; a wizened crook in Lanling added helpfully that his soul would be torn apart and he would die a painful death before he could even consummate the marriage. 

Jiang Cheng shot down the proposal almost immediately, and who could blame him? He couldn’t possible risk both Yunmeng Jiang and Lanling Jin with a lousy match. It was rumoured that Young Master Wei was crushed by the news, locking himself in his chambers and refusing to step out of Lotus Pier at all.

Jiang Cheng initially found all the disastrous fortune-telling hilarious, mostly because he and Wei Wuxian had staged them all, and neither of them actually believed in any of this fortune nonsense. By the time the predictions of the third matchmaker was relayed to him, though, the humour had worn off, and he was more annoyed than amused by the curses thrown at his brother than when he’d first started off, because there was some truth in those predictions that he couldn’t ignore.

The master of Jiang didn’t expect that the Jins would take this matter any further, given the obvious risks to both Wei Wuxian and their own young mistress. So when Jin Guangyao arrived in Lotus Pier in a last-ditch effort to save the sinking marriage proposal, Jiang Cheng pointedly refused to grant him an audience.

He didn’t expect Jin Guangyao to still be standing at the front gate two _sichen_ later.

“Elder Master,” said a harried and reluctant Chen Lianzhou as she dug him out of a pile of talismans, “Young Master Jin is still standing outside - Master is going to antagonize the Jins at this rate. If you could –”

She didn’t even have to finish that sentence. Wei Wuxian knew only too well that Jiang Cheng could be such an emotional rollercoaster sometimes. He stumbled around his research to meet and pacify the young master of Jin, because it was his long overdue job as the Head Elder of Yunmeng Jiang to help keep other sects out of their hair, and…

And because, perhaps, he owed it to Jin Su to talk to Jin Guangyao at least once.

* * *

Jin Guangyao met him with the hooded look of a man backed into a corner.

“It is a shame,” he started, strain evident in his handsome features as he struggled to convince, “Sect Leader Jiang has been misled. A-Su is a lovely maiden, and Young Master Wei is her perfect match. Surely this union is worth more to you than the ominous predictions of a few naysayers. There are people, after all, who would hate to see Yunmeng Jiang and Lanling Jin joining forces.”

Wei Wuxian had learnt restraint to a limited degree, but no one had ever said that he was a man of discretion. Looking into Jin Guangyao’s eyes, Wei Wuxian wondered, now, what Lan Xichen, a man of indisputable virtue, had ever seen in someone like Jin Guangyao.

Bristling, he set his cup down with a loud clink, flint grey eyes seeking out Jin Guangyao’s light ones for any indication of regret.

“Young Master Jin, I will be forthcoming with you. What do you think of Miss Qin’s feelings for you?”

It was apparent that Jin Guangyao had not anticipated him being so direct. His pleasant demeanour froze for a moment, before a careful, realising sigh left his lips.

“Is that the reason Young Master Wei rejected the proposal? Because A-Su told you about her affections for this one?” He posed, careful and measured.

“I asked,” said Wei Wuxian through gritted teeth, “what Young Master Jin thinks about Miss Qin. If Young Master Jin would speak plainly.”

“This is a misunderstanding,” said Jin Guangyao quickly, mistaking his rage for jealousy, “A-Su and I are siblings. There could be nothing between us. Whatever it was that A-Su had felt, it cannot matter now.”

“_It cannot matter_? Jin Guangyao, you – she _adores_ you _so much_, thinks about your prospect so often, is this how you repay her? By _selling her off _to some other man against her wish?”

There was something dark and stagnant that lurked in the depths of Jin Guangyao’s gaze, and when he opened his mouth, his words were deliberate.

“You are a very righteous man, Young Master Wei, but I fear your indignation is misplaced. The circumstances in which A-Su and I find ourselves in – do not allow for this kind of relationship between us. I owe it to both of us not to bring us to ruin, and this is what A-Su’s feeling would bring us. ”

“These are _excuses_,” snapped Wei Wuxian, “You didn’t even try for her.”

“With respect, not everyone attempts the impossible, Young Master Wei. Not everyone has the _luxury _to.” his eyes lingered on Wei Wuxian pointedly. “I hear that Yunmeng Jiang allows you free rein over most of your decisions. The rest of us struggle to just survive.”

It was a blatant call for pity that Wei Wuxian didn’t think Jin Guangyao deserved, and the ice in Wei Wuxian’s demeanour did not thaw.

“I won’t accept the proposal, Young Master Jin. I can’t do that to Miss Qin. If you’re a man of virtue, you will at least hear her out.”

“Hear her out, and then what? Nothing will come of this, Young Master Wei. Nothing will change. You do not understand,” Jin Guangyao said, “If you truly wish to protect A-Su, there is no better way than making her your – ”

“No. That is quite enough.”

“You are an honourable man,” Jin Guangyao’s eventually said, after a suppressing silence, and his eyes were dark when he turned back to Wei Wuxian. “It is truly…a shame.”

* * *

Wei Wuxian wrote to Lan Zhan about each and every shenanigan that had ever happened in Lotus Pier. Folks at the marketplace had been asking after “_Young Master Wei’s beautiful brother_” every day. Lotus Pier had been building new quarters for the sudden influx of disciples after the war. The Jins did not know when to get out of his, and Shijie’s, hair, despite the fact that both of them had rejected the Jin’s proposals. 

He’d wasted no less than four butterfly talisman on his one-sided ranting when Lan Wangji finally wrote back. Sometimes his brother was like a demure maiden like that.

Lan Zhan had marched his way into the Jin’s prisoner’s camp, his brother reported in his elegant, steady hand, and had managed to pluck the Wens from Jin Guangshan’s unwilling grasp. Wen Ning was safe, and so were the Wen remnants. It had taken a bit of lobbying, but the Wens would be sent to Gusu, where they would live out their lives unmolested.

The short message moved Wen Qing to tears; she slid to the floor in a graceless, relieved heap, trembling as she grasped onto the talisman letter like a lifeline.

Wei Wuxian had never seen her so vulnerable before.

“You can join them in Gusu, Wen Qing,” Wei Wuxian said gently, “You don’t have to stay. I’ll have someone escort you.”

Wen Qing’s responding glare at him was glacial.

“I made a promise,” she said as she shook her head vehemently, “I will stay in Lotus Pier until l can restore your core.”

“Don’t be silly, Wen Qing. You’ll be here your whole life,” Wei Wuxian chuckled, mirthless. “We both know there is no restoring a golden core.”

But she was regal in her resolution. “Then so be it.”

Nothing would dissuade her from her misplaced decision after that.

* * *

The second letter from Lan Zhan gave Wei Wuxian pause.

Lan Zhan asked, apropos of apparently nothing, if he could make the Demon Wind Compass single out godly beasts from other creatures.

Now Wei Wuxian was a genius of his time, but the Demon Wind Compass he made could not distinguish one resentful creature from another,_ and Wei Wuxian knew it_.

_Of course _his sworn brother – the Hanguang-jun - was going to pick up on that _one_ major flaw of that compass when no one else could.

In a fit of indignation and bruised pride, Wei Wuxian had ditched his research on destroying the Seal and thrown himself into Lan Zhan’s request. He emerged victorious within a couple of days, smugly sending his sworn brother an extra magnetic needle as an add-on to snap onto his compass.

_That’s all I have__, Er-ge_, he wrote, and let the butterfly flutter off with the needle nestled in its paper belly, _tell me when you’ve found__ another Xuanwu of Slaughter__._

Lan Zhan’s replying letter was downright cryptic.

_Perhaps_, Lan Zhan mused, and proceeded to request for an upgrade in the detecting range of the Compass, _I hope to bring you good news._

* * *

Wen Qing came to him at the turn of the season, unsure and frowning.

“Listen,” she said, rubbing at her temple, “this is going to sound super crazy.”

“I’m the Patriarch, Wen Qing,” Wei Wuxian raised a brow, “I _do _crazy. What’s it?”

“Don’t let Jiang Cheng hear that, he’ll explode,” she warned, distracted, like Jiang Cheng hadn’t been exploding on and off for the past month, and dropped a dog-eared book into his lap, “I just need to show you something.”

“Show me – _the Classic of Mountain and Sea_? I know there’s no way to rebuild a core, but are we resorting to _mythology_ now?”

Wen Qing hit him upside the head.

The Classic of Mountain and Sea was a compilation of information on all the mythical beasts that have ever walked this earth. Wei Wuxian had read it in his childhood out of curiosity, and thought it was mostly fiction – most of the creatures described in the book was simply _never _found anywhere under the skies, period. The powers some of the creatures had would have ended the world as they knew it, so it was perhaps best that Wei Wuxian didn’t get to see them with his own eyes.

“Shut up. There’s something in there that - .” She flipped to a page and stuffed the book under Wei Wuxian’s nose. “Here. Look.”

“The _Baihu_ of the West,” Wei Wuxian snorted, his gaze tracing the ink drawing of a regal tiger walking on clouds, “I mean, Wen Qing. No one has seen the Sacred White Tiger in the past few thousand years.”

“Says the man who killed the Xuanwu of Slaughter. To clarify, I’m not talking about the sacred beast itself. I’m talking about the spawns of the Baihu that still roam the mortal realm to this day.”

“My point still stands. Baby Baihus have not been sighted in the past few centuries.”

“That is where you’re wrong, idiot. Remember Wen Chao? Guess who was responsible for baiting these mythical beasts for him so he could get other people to kill them and brag about it?”

She had the satisfaction of watching his eyes go round.

“He made you do that? Gods, how many people did you have to lose on the way doing crazy shit like that?”

Wen Qing huffed.

“You already know the answer to that question, Wei Wuxian. Too many to count. That wasn’t Wen Ruohan or Wen Chao’s concern,” she told him, severe. “Anyway. I’m sure you are already familiar with the supposed properties of the Baihu’s blood.”

“It cultivates the spiritual roots in any person who is not predisposed to cultivation in the first place. It is particularly sought after by people who want to be cultivators, but can’t.” Wei Wuxian recited blankly, before realisation hit him in the stomach, like a particularly hard rock. “…_oh.”_

“So we need to chase down and collect blood from a godly beast. Heavens save us,” he muttered, and tried to shake off traumatising recollections of being stuck in the Xuanwu’s throat. “I don’t want to deal with a godly beast _ever_ again. How much of that blood do we even need?”

“I don’t know. But if the stories around the Baihu hold any water at all, the thing is probably sentient. You are going to need the strongest reinforcements you could get, Wei Wuxian. Get Sect Leader Jiang. Get Second Young Master Lan. If we don’t want to be tiger bait, we’re going to need to plan this out carefully.”

“…I guess,” conceded Wei Wuxian, sighing, “it isn’t as if they aren’t overwhelmed with their duties enough already. I don’t want to have to bother Er-ge wherever he’s out night hunting somewhere in Gusu.”

He caught himself, expression freezing as he clutched at the book.

“You know,” he said slowly, “Lan Zhan asked me the strangest thing just a while ago.”

“Huh?”

“He told me to upgrade the Demon Wind Compass so that it can track godly beasts over a large area,” Wei Wuxian said, hands clenching at his sides, “_why is my brother going after godly beasts all of a sudden?_”

Wen Qing blinked, astonished, before letting out a soft huff. “…It’ll seem that Second Young Master Lan is faster on the uptake than we are. A very smart man, as always.”

Wei Wuxian stood up so fast that the _Classic of Mountain and Sea _tumbled off his lap. If Lan Zhan had learnt about the existence of Baihu, then what his sworn brother was trying to do was more than clear.

“No. That isn’t right. Where _did_ Lan Zhan even learn about the Baihu in the first place? It isn’t like you would hear about this kind of things from random folks.”  
  


He thought of Lan Zhan searching tirelessly in the wilds, because he believed, for some reason, that someone like Wei Wuxian deserved a second chance at cultivation. He thought of Lan Zhan pitting himself against a legendary beast by his lonesome, because the task was so dangerous he couldn’t ask this of anyone else.

He thought of Lan Zhan, who had never thought to let it go, all because they made a _pact_.

“Forget it. I need to go to Cloud Recesses, now.”

Wen Qing frowned, but was interrupted before she could say anything edgewise.

“Not while I am Leader of this Sect, Wei Wuxian,” snapped a voice from the end of the corridor, and both Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing swivelled in their place, as though they were caught in a secret rendezvous.

“Oh hi, Jiang Cheng,” managed Wei Wuxian, and absolutely did not quiver under the force of his brother’s ire. “This is not what it looks like.”

* * *

Wei Wuxian had never seen Jiang Cheng change his mind so fast. They were packed for a short trip to Cloud Recesses the moment Jiang Cheng needled the Baihu story out of them both. The moment he realised Lan Wangji was hot on the Baihu’s trail, he’d barked commands at his disciples to leave before noon.

Wei Wuxian had made a brief protest about it not being necessary for Jiang Cheng to come along, given all his responsibilities as Sect Leader, but a clipped “_can you even fly_?” stopped him in his tracks.

They were ready to go before midday came. Wei Wuxian was frankly amazed.

As she packed Wei Wuxian’s medicine for the trip – herbs to improve his battered body condition, medicine to keep his meridians balanced - Wen Qing found the Sect Leader of Jiang sweeping over to loom over her, jaws working furiously.

“Will he…does he need your care for the trip?”

That was unbearably cute, for such an imposing figure, and Wen Qing had to stifle a small smile as he she tried to reply with as much solemnity as she could muster.

“He should be fine as long as he takes my medicine and refrain from using demonic cultivation too much.” She stepped forward to hand him a scroll.

“Here. This is the best I can recall about the Baihu’s whereabouts. The Wens had a report on the locations of a handful of godly beasts, but it was probably confiscated along with everything they owned.”

Jiang Cheng nodded, a jerky, abortive movement, before throwing Wei Wuxian onto Sandu, like he was one of his qiankun pouches.

“Hurry up. We’re going to see your precious Er-ge and ask him what he knows about that tiger. Then we’re going to get the Baihu blood and head straight back to Lotus Pier.”

There was an eerie, too-bright glint to Jiang Cheng’s dark eyes, an excitement that bordered on desperation, and with the whole Baoshan Sanren episode, Wei Wuxian felt that he had to manage his brother’s expectations.

“Jiang Cheng, you know, that Baihu thing could be, well, just a rumour. Just saying.”

Jiang Cheng took off on Sandu with such violence Wei Wuxian was almost thrown off from his precarious perch on the sword’s tip.

“_There must be a way_,” said Jiang Cheng, in a tone that suggested he would push Wei Wuxian off the sword there and then if he didn’t agree.

“No one can tell me otherwise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for the massive delay in posting this chapter, as I was too busy reading the Scum Villain's Self-Saving System (another awesome work by MXTX, very much recommended) and 2ha (which is so longggg). I have no regrets whatsoever.
> 
> Chinese terminologies for this chapter: 
> 
> Youming Gongzi = 幽明公子, with 幽 = darkness; the underworld, 明 = light; the mortal world, and 公子 = young master
> 
> Sichen = 時辰, an ancient Chinese way of counting time. One sichen = two hours.
> 
> The Classic of Mountain and Sea = 山海經, which is a real text compiling all the mythical creatures you often see referenced in Chinese novels! Especially the four sacred beasts. Everyone and their mother reference the four sacred beasts.
> 
> Baihu = 白虎, the White Tiger of the West and one of the four sacred beasts, but you already know this one. 
> 
> Next up:  
"My brother gave me this ribbon as an entrance token to Cloud Recesses."  
"WHAT NO."


End file.
